In 1956 at age 21 Floyd Patterson became the youngest boxer to win the title of world heavyweight champion & then later the first ever to lose & regain it. Here acclaimed author W.K. Stratton chronicles the life of The Gentle Gladiator
- an athlete overshadowed by Alis theatrics & Listons fearsome reputation & a civil-rights activist overlooked in the whos who of race politics. From the Gramercy Gym & wild-card manager Cus DAmato to a final rematch against Ali in 1972 Pattersons career spanned boxings Golden Age & included an Olympic gold medal. This powerful tribute to an invisible champion who fought his way to the top of a knockdown world carrying many of the hopes & fears of the battle for civil rights draws upon interviews with the fighters family friends & boxing contemporaries to provide the definitive account of his remarkable life & career.