Patterson/Rademacher, How and Why ???

[HE Grant]

There are a number of title fights in heavyweight history that have very bizarre or interesting origins and subplots ... often they are not the huge stand out fights .... one fight that has always interested me is Floyd Patterson's defense against Pete Rademacher ...

Here we had the heavyweight champion of the world defending the title against a world championship amateur in his first pro fight....I find it amazing that such a fight was made and that the public bought it at all ...

I'd love to learn more back story to the fight, what coverage was leading up to it and the reactions to the actual ... I can only imagine Patterson came out at the bottom taking almost six rounds to stop Pete and actually hitting the canvas ...

Anyone ever see this fight and have more info on it ?

[hawk5ins]

Check out Bob Mee/s Book; The Heavyweights, whihc profiles 199 different heavyweight champions and contenders. He has a piece on Rademacher and talks about the bout.

Cus was offered a $250 K guarntee to face the newly crowned Olympic Champion who initially thought 28 was too old to turn pro. But apparently when he got home, he persuaded his manager, who btw wanted to bring Pete along the right way and slowly work his way to a title shot, and some business men to back him financially for a fight with Floyd.

Pete was to get $10 K to face Floyd.

Turns out the appeal of the fight was what we would think it would be and the paying crowd didn't even cover Floyd's $250K.

The whole thing was Pete's idea and while he didn't profit from the bout, he did get his title shot.

Hawk

[greek1237]

Its a shame that Pete got first choice over top rank contenders like Machen and Folly who were at the top for years at that time I belive.

[MATTDONNELLON]

Folley was not even a contender at the time while Machen had just made his move.

[hawk5ins]

Folley was Pete's next fight after Patterson.

Zora took him out in 4.

Hawk

[raylawpc]

Folley was not even a contender at the time while Machen had just made his move.

Yes, Cus D'Amato began ducking Machen and Folley a couple of years later, as I recall.

[HE Grant]

How about the fact that Pete knocked Floyd down? Is it me or does it seem in many ways that Floyd became a better fighter post Ali 1, fought and beat better fighters ....

[sweetsci]

Here's The Ring's ratings for that period:

The Ring - July 1957
(as of May ?, 1957)

Champion:
Floyd Patterson
1. Tommy Jackson
2. Eddie Machen
3. Willie Pastrano
4. Harold Johnson
5. Bob Satterfield
6. Archie Moore
7. Zora Folley
8. Nino Valdes
9. Roy Harris
10. Ingemar Johansson

The Ring - October 1957
(as of August 22, 1957)

Champion:
Floyd Patterson
1. Eddie Machen
2. Tommy Jackson
3. Zora Folley
4. Willie Pastrano
5. Roy Harris
6. Nino Valdes
7. Pat McMurtry
8. Bob Satterfield
9. Ingemar Johansson
10. Alex Miteff

As we can see, Machen and Foley were right in the thick of it during the summer of '57.
It's also interesting that Patterson fought Rademacher less than a month after dispatching of No. 1 contender Jackson.

[raylawpc]

Yes, I checked my recollection for 1957 after I got home from work the other night and I was wrong. The Ring's year-end ratings for 1957 had Folley and Machen as the top two contenders for 1957, so I guess old Cus began ducking them earlier than I had remembered.

[MATTDONNELLON]

Yeah you're correct Folley has become a contender but Floyd was hardly avoiding them for years...Yet!

[raylawpc]

Yeah you're correct Folley has become a contender but Floyd was hardly avoiding them for years...Yet!

Hence the word "began."

[greek1237]

But still, outside of Fitz, Ali and Patterson, and Holmes, I dont recall any one giving a guy with ten fights or less a title shot. Now Jeff(For Fitz) earn his title shot vs Fitz, And People are more than willing to forgive Ali for giving Spinks his title shot(Not that he lost, but people say he was past his best, so Ali didnt need to fight the best even though he was champ) And Holmes seems to always enjoy whipping the David Bays the heavyweight divsion.
But people give these champs a pass for these title defenses(But outside of Cooney, Spoon, who else was there?.
Patterson on the other hand, mostly fought these types of foes for his title fights. It was not until Ingo beat Machen, that Cus starting singing a new tune.

But even though fighting a guy with ten fights or less is pretty bad, it is not as bad as defended your title vs a guy making his first pro fight.

[MATTDONNELLON]

Its a shame that Pete got first choice over top rank contenders like Machen and Folly who were at the top for years at that time I belive.
Raylpc I was referring to the above post not your post below.

Yes, Cus D'Amato began ducking Machen and Folley a couple of years later, as I recall.
When I posted the following;
Originally Posted by MATTDONNELLON
Yeah you're correct Folley has become a contender but Floyd was hardly avoiding them for years...Yet!
Sorry for any confusion.

[raylawpc]

But still, outside of Fitz, Ali and Patterson, and Holmes, I dont recall any one giving a guy with ten fights or less a title shot. Now Jeff(For Fitz) earn his title shot vs Fitz, And People are more than willing to forgive Ali for giving Spinks his title shot(Not that he lost, but people say he was past his best, so Ali didnt need to fight the best even though he was champ) And Holmes seems to always enjoy whipping the David Bays the heavyweight divsion.
But people give these champs a pass for these title defenses(But outside of Cooney, Spoon, who else was there?.
Patterson on the other hand, mostly fought these types of foes for his title fights. It was not until Ingo beat Machen, that Cus starting singing a new tune.

But even though fighting a guy with ten fights or less is pretty bad, it is not as bad as defended your title vs a guy making his first pro fight.

A point of clarification, greek1237. Jeff's record was 10-0-2 when he defeated Fitz for the title.

Ironically, however, for those who consider Jeff's 1900 bout with Jack Finnegan a title defense, then Jeffries qualifies for your list since Finnegan's known record was 1-2-2, according to Boxrec.

[greek1237]

Well Finnegan's record is incomplete. I would belive he had a lot more than 1-2-2, 30 fights at the least.

[kikibalt]

Pete Rademacher, who meets Zora Folley in the "Fight for Lives" feature on Friday night at the Olympic, "squares off" with his dad, Herb, who fought under the name of Johnny Ray in the '20s. Peering at the Rademachers is trainer George Chemeres. Photo dated: July 28, 1958.

[raylawpc]

Well Finnegan's record is incomplete. I would belive he had a lot more than 1-2-2, 30 fights at the least.

I say this in all serious and not to be sarcastic, but if you have any evidence of additional fights for Finnegan, please, please let me know. The boxrec fights are the only ones I have ever confirmed for him. And the biref write-ups in the Detroit newspapers proceeding the Jeffires fight do not give a record for Finnegan.

[greek1237]

Most of the pre 60's fighters records are imcomplete though. No I dont know much on Finnegan. But I would not belive Jeff would have defended against a a rookie like that.