Floyd Patterson Floyd Patterson Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972, and twice reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1956 to 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in history to win the title, and was also the first heavyweight to regain the title after losing it. As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the middleweight division at the 1952 Summer Olympics. In 1956 and 1960, Patterson was voted Fighter of the Year by "The Ring" magazine and the Boxing Writers Association
World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (original version) while Joe Stecher is the youngest champion, winning at the age of 22 years, 103 days. The final reign was disputed between Ed Lewis and Edouard Carpentier and the latter was in his first and therefore only reign. All matches were held at house shows. Various promotions have been home to world heavyweight championships with origins that can also be traced back to the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship assumed the original world championship's position as the preeminent wrestling championship, and claimed its lineage. Most of the following championships, all based in North America,