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Patterson Credits Change in Strategy for Victory

Feb. 2, 1965 - Floyd Patterson credited today a bone separation behind the knuckles of his left hand as a main factor in his 12-round decision over George Chuvalo at Madison Square Garden last night.

The injury, suffered last December, was aggravated two weeks ago. Rather than postpone the fight, Patterson said, he changed his strategy. For the first time in 13 years as a professional, he said, he boxed defensively rather than aggressively.

During the fight, the 197¼-pound Patterson seemed to be hitting as hard as he ever had, but Chuvalo took his best shots. Later, the 208-pound, 27-year-old Canadian said he had been hit harder by others.

Today, at a news conference, Chuvalo wore dark glasses over puffy, slitted eyes. He had a discolored, egg-sized lump beneath his right eye. It was the dominant feature of a battered, bruised, and cut face. 

The face, easily accessible to Patterson’s stiff, heavy jabs and sharp rights, was Floyd’s target. Chuvalo concentrated on pummeling Patterson’s stomach, chest, sides, and not infrequently, his groin and back.

He later complained that Zack Clayton, the referee, had broken the clinches too quickly. Patterson conceded he had been hurt several times, but never severely.

“If it hadn’t been for the hand,” he said, “I probably would have pressed him like I said I planned. If I chose to go forward, I don’t think I would have been successful. Actually, I think I benefited from the injury. To pressure a strong fellow like that would have been a mistake.”

He also drew sustenance from the crowd, which had obviously been in his corner. They chanted, “Let’s go, Floyd!” several times.

Patterson was not ready, however, to accept the crowd’s reaction as completely sincere.

“Liston is constantly getting into trouble,” he said, “and people look down at him. Clay [Muhammad Ali] keeps making statements about the Black Muslims, and people resent it. I think I gained this support not so much on my own, but because of Liston and Clay.”Ali, present at last night’s bout, said Patterson’s performance had earned him a shot at the title.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Inter-Continental Sports said that Ali, the heavyweight champion, would be examined in Boston next Monday and then would begin preliminary training for a return title fight with Sonny Liston, tentatively scheduled at the end of May.



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