Floyd Patterson: 1952 Helsinki Olympics
Patterson qualified for the 1952 Olympics as a middleweight after stopping Gordon Gladson of Camas, Washington, during U.S. amateur qualifying bouts. At the Helsinki Games, Patterson defeated opponents from France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Romania to win the gold medal.
He entered the professional ranks as a National AAU champion with an amateur record often cited at 40–4, including 37 knockouts. In 1956, Patterson knocked out Archie Moore to win the vacant heavyweight championship following Rocky Marciano’s retirement. He later lost and regained the title against Sweden’s Ingemar Johansson and finished his professional career with a 55-8-1 record and 40 stoppages.
Joe Frazier: 1964 Tokyo Olympics
Frazier was a National AAU champion and reached the Olympic trials, where he scored two knockouts before losing to Buster Mathis. When Mathis suffered a broken thumb, Frazier was selected to represent the United States at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
During the Olympic tournament, Frazier broke his left thumb in the semifinals but continued to compete. He defeated Hans Huber of Germany in the final to win the heavyweight gold medal. His amateur record is generally listed at approximately 38–4.
As a professional, Frazier won the vacant WBC heavyweight title in 1970 by stopping Jimmy Ellis. He later lost twice to George Foreman and fought Muhammad Ali four times. Frazier ended his career with a 32-4-1 record and 27 knockouts.
Muhammad Ali: 1960 Rome Olympics
Ali competed as a light heavyweight in the amateurs and entered the 1960 Olympic cycle with an amateur record reported near 99–8. He had previously fought Jimmy Ellis in the amateurs and won the National AAU title at the Olympic trials, earning placement at the Rome Games.
At the Olympics, Ali won four bouts, including a final-round victory over Poland’s Zbigniew Pietrzykowski to claim the gold medal.
In 1964, Ali won the world heavyweight title by stopping Sonny Liston, who retired on his stool, citing a shoulder injury. In their rematch, Liston was knocked out by a short right hand while Ali was moving backward. The count was administered by referee Jersey Joe Walcott. The ending has been debated since the bout took place.
George Foreman: 1968 Olympic Tournament
Foreman competed at the 1968 Olympics and won the heavyweight gold medal. His victories during the tournament came by stoppage, including a knockout win in the final.
Foreman later entered the professional ranks and won the heavyweight championship in 1973 by stopping Joe Frazier.
Olympic Participation
Olympic boxing tournaments required fighters to compete multiple times over a short schedule against opponents from different countries. Patterson, Frazier, Ali, and Foreman each advanced through that format before beginning their professional careers.
