Late boxing champ found peace as a Catholic

Patterson died in May at the age of 71 in upstate New York where he had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He also suffered from prostate cancer, according to an Associated Press report.

He will be remembered as a Brooklyn boy. It was in Brooklyn that he was a youngster with a troubled childhood.

There were stories of him sleeping on park benches, eventually being institutionalized in a home for boys and then finding his way up through boxing. But it was also in Brooklyn that the champ found his way to the faith.

The late Msgr. Archibald McLees, a former leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was pastor at Holy Rosary in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn from 1948 to 1963. He used to tell about the curious 16-year-old named Patterson who came to the rectory door asking questions about the Catholic Church.

Stuck in the turmoil and the trouble of the streets, Patterson was impressed by the peace and tranquillity he found in the church. He took instructions in the faith and was baptized by then-Father McLees at Holy Rosary March 31, 1956.

The parish’s baptismal register lists George Warfield, who is now deceased, as his godfather.

Boxing trainer Cus D’Amato saw the goodness in Patterson and molded him into a person who took pride in his craft and in himself. As a Golden Gloves champion and Olympic gold medal winner in 1952, Patterson became a local hero.

He went on to become the youngest man at the time to win the heavyweight title, and the first man ever to win it back after losing it.

While participating in a violent game, he remained mild and meek and was very soft-spoken. When he knocked out Swede Ingemar Johansson in 1960 to win back the crown, he showed concern for his opponent’s condition and even helped him back to his corner when the bout was over.

When he retired to New Paltz, Patterson trained young fighters in a gymnasium built on his property. He remained active in the church, serving as an usher and eucharistic minister at nearby St. Joseph’s Church, run by the Capuchins.

Patterson won the heavyweight title Nov. 30, 1956, when he knocked out Archie Moore in a tournament to determine the championship. With the victory, 21-year-old Patterson became the youngest world heavyweight champion in history.

He held the title until 1959, regained it in 1960 and lost it to Sonny Liston in 1962. In all, his reign lasted almost five years. Patterson retired in 1972 at age 37 with a professional record of 55 wins, including 40 knockouts, eight losses and one tie.