Nov. 5, 1962 - The former world heavyweight champion, Floyd Patterson, broke six weeks of silence today and said he wanted his rematch with Sonny Liston to be staged at Madison Square Garden before the end of March. Patterson, who lost the crown to Liston in Chicago Sept. 25 on a knockout (picutred) at 2:06 of the first round, said, “I believe I have a good chance of regaining the title for the second time, although I am by no means cocksure about it.” Floyd returned to New York last week from a trip to Europe with his wife Sandra. He said they had visited three countries, the names of which he would not reveal, and that he had worn a large false mustache and goatee as a disguise throughout the trip. He said he had received “thousands of letters and telegrams” from well-wishers all over the world, including the Soviet Union. The messages told him not to be ashamed of his defeat at Chicago. However, he said, “I do feel ashamed about it, and I’ll do my very best to make the return fight a different story, as I did in my return bout with Ingemar Johansson.”
Comments