On October 28, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou will have a chance – a fat chance – to hand Tyson Fury his first defeat in the paid ranks.
While the Gypsy King’s WBC title will not be at stake in this fight, Ngannou is still making his professional boxing debut against the reigning heavyweight champion of the world. But it’s not the first time this has happened.
In November 1956, following Rocky Marciano’s retirement, 21-year-old Floyd Patterson became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history when he knocked out the legendary Archie Moore for the vacant title.
The amiable New Yorker had made one defence against top contender Tommy Jackson but was struggling to secure his next opponent.
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Patterson was a product of acclaimed trainer-manager Cus D’Amato, who would go on to develop a young Mike Tyson decades later. He was an excellent fighter, but options were scarce at heavyweight and the public was losing interest in the glamour division.
That’s why D’Amato was intrigued when a dozen financiers from Georgia vowed to raise a guarantee of $250,000 for Patterson to face Olympic champion Pete Rademacher.
Rademacher, a former U.S. Army officer, took gold at the 1956 Melbourne Games as a heavyweight. However, reluctant to build himself up the hard way as a professional, the 28-year-old hitter from Tieton, Washington, set himself the lofty goal of winning the heavyweight championship in his first bout.
The plan was dismissed as lunacy, but novelties sell, and the $250,000 that Patterson would receive was over double what the champ had made in any of his 33 fights to date.
Francis Ngannou is on a mission to dethrone the undefeated Tyson Fury 👊
— Sporting News Fights (@sn_fights) October 20, 2023
Will Fury prove that boxers reign supreme or will Ngannou's power be too much for Fury? 🤔
This is By The Numbers: Tyson Fury 🆚 Francis Ngannou edition 😏 #FuryNgannou #boxing pic.twitter.com/EmxVOHaKoh
As is the case with Fury vs. Ngannou, there was plenty of money, hype and attention surrounding Patterson vs. Rademacher. However, the fight was panned by the press, with former heavyweight champion Joe Louis labelling it “the worst mismatch in boxing history.” Patterson initially opened as a -1000 favourite, but it was reported by UP on the day of the fight that no odds were being posted.
Patterson vs. Rademacher took place on August 22, 1957, at the Sick's Stadium in Seattle, approximately 160 miles away from Rademacher’s hometown.
The fight would be refereed by future Hall of Famer Tommy Loughran, who was one of the greatest and most accomplished light heavyweight champions in boxing history. Meanwhile, a crowd of 16,961 paying customers turned up to see if the local fighter could make history.
Expectations were low, but the challenger almost hit the jackpot. While Rademacher had no pro experience, he knew his way around a ring and carried a good punch.
After edging the opening round behind a sharp jab, the challenger released a pair of big rights that dropped Patterson in the second. The capacity crowd erupted as the embarrassed champion quickly found his feet and advanced behind his signature peek-a-boo guard.
More Rademacher power shots crashed home, but Patterson remained erect and survived the session. If the heavyweight champ had been under any illusions that this was more show business than fight, then that train of thought was gone for good.
Patterson worked his way into the bout in the next two rounds and stayed clear of his opponent's right hand. In the fifth, the champ countered with a fierce four-punch barrage that decked Rademacher heavily.
Renowned for being respectful and courteous toward his opposition, Patterson aimed a contemptuous wave of his glove at Rademacher as he crashed the canvas. The champion felt disrespected and his opponent was going to pay.
And pay he did. After rising at the count of nine, Rademacher was blasted to the canvas by an overhand right. Another nine-count did little to clear the cobwebs, and Patterson sent his man flying to the canvas with another almost invisible combination of blows.
In 2023, the fight would be stopped, but referee Loughlin gave Rademacher every opportunity. The challenger displayed incredible guts, but another right sent him down again and he also took a knee during another assault. The fight was now a yo-yo contest for survival.
Rademacher insisted on coming out for round six, but two more savage right-hand knockdowns ended the fight. The official time was 2:57.
MORE: Full Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou undercard
Patterson’s reign would continue throughout the late 1950s. He would score stoppage wins over Roy Harris and Brian London before being shockingly upset by Ingemar Johanssen.
One year later, in a direct rematch, Patterson would become the first fighter in boxing history to regain the heavyweight championship when he scored a frightening one-punch knockout of the Swedish fighter.
Incredibly, Rademacher’s brain trust threw him in at the deep end again in his second professional bout. Zora Folley, one of Rademacher’s former amateur rivals, was making his way through the ranks and developing into a quality boxer-puncher. Once again, pro experience proved decisive and Rademacher was knocked out in four rounds.
The former Olympic champ fought would on to face a series of top names such as George Chuvalo, Doug Jones, Archie Moore, Karl Mildenberger, and Bobo Olson. A 10-round decision win over Chuvalo was perhaps the best win of his career. He retired in 1962 with a record of 15-7-1 (8 KOs).