Patterson KO’s Tod Herring

May 14, 1965 - “One thing is sure,” battered and bruised Tod Herring said in his dressing room tonight after a third-round technical knockout by Floyd Patterson, “it’s for sure Floyd could lick Clay any time.”

Patterson, the only man to have won and lost the world heavyweight title two times, has said repeatedly that if current champ Muhammad Ali, formerly Cassius Clay, beats Sonny Liston in Maine later this month he, Patterson, has been promised the next shot at the title.

In Stockholm tonight, Patterson scored an easy TKO of the unranked Herring in his fifth fight since a pair of humiliating one-round KO’s by Liston.

Herring had a few complaints after referee Teddy Waltham stopped the bout. “In the U.S. we would have been allowed to go on, but I admit that Floyd hit me hard.”

“My first job is to protect the boxers and prevent unnecessary slaughter, not to please the crowd,” Waltham said. “I looked into Herring’s eyes as he hung there on the ropes, helpless, his hands at his side, and I knew he could not go on. One more punch from such a fighter as Patterson could have killed him.”

Herring’s only moment of glory came in the second round, when he scored with a couple of good hooks to the head.

“I think I was ahead when the referee spoiled my best chance ever,” Herring said. “What do you think I traveled all the way from Texas for, just to look like a clown here?”

Patterson’s victory was the 45th of his career against four losses.

“His body punches never bothered me,” Patterson said, “but those hooks hurt a couple of times. Give him a couple of years for more experience, and he will be a very good fighter. Right now, he is a tremendous puncher more than anything else.

“Believe it or not, Herring is a better puncher than George Chuvalo or Eddie Machen. He hit me twice in the first round, and it really hurt.”

Patterson also described himself as “better than ever.”

“I guess it’s because I’ve become a fighting boxer now,” Patterson said. “I’ve fought five bouts in 18 months, more than I did during my terms as champ.”

Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s