OCR Text |
Show Boxing Is Reborn By MAC BACKMAN Chronicle Assoc. Sports Editor Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali) defeated Floyd Patterson Monday Mon-day night in a fight that should quiet once and for all the critics who claim boxing is dead. CLAY DEFEATED Patterson via a 12th round technical knockout knock-out but it was the first gamely fought heavyweight battle since Patterson knocked out Ingemar Johannsen in 1960. Clay demonstrated demon-strated himself as perhaps the fastest heavyweight ever to put on the leather if not the most modest. Patterson, though obviously outmanned, was not the washed-up washed-up patsy that he was made out to be by the press. He slugged it out with Clay on even terms for six rounds before his age (30) and inferior strength finished fin-ished him. His defense was often spectacular but he could not mount an offensive against the strong Clay. A bad back finally finished the game challenger. Boxing is down but not quite out. Monday's fight was by no means a classic but it gave boxing box-ing a shot in the arm by being so gamely fought. ' |