Tracy Harris Patterson (born on December 26, 1964) is an American former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

who competed from 1985 to 2000. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the

World Boxing Council The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

(WBC)

super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a boxing weight classes, weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanct ...

title in 1992 to 1994, and the

International Boxing Federation The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts. The others are the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing C ...

(IBF) junior lightweight title in 1995.

Personal life

Born Tracy Harris in

Grady, Alabama Grady is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Alabama, United States. Grady is located about south of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery. It is at the intersection of Montgomery County Road 28 (Meriwether Trail) a ...

, he is the adopted son of former

Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves of America is an organization that promotes annual competitions of amateur boxing in the United States, in which winners are awarded a belt and a ring, and the title of national champion. The organization currently owns 30 fr ...

and world heavyweight champion

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 between 1956 and 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in his ...

, turned Golden Gloves success into a solid pro career.

Amateur career

As an amateur, Patterson won two New York

Championships. Patterson won both the 1984 119 lbs. Open Championship and the 1985 125 lbs. Open Championship. Patterson trained at the Huguenot Boys Club in

New Paltz, New York New Paltz () is an incorporated U.S. town in Ulster County, New York. The population was 14,407 at the 2020 census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston. New Paltz contains a village, also with ...

by his adoptive father, former heavyweight champion

, a two-time Golden Gloves winner.

Professional career

Patterson turned pro in 1985 and captured the WBC

title in 1992 with a TKO over Thierry Jacob. Tracy and his father Floyd are the first father and son to win world titles in boxing. He defended the title four times before losing the belt to Hector Acero Sánchez in 1994. In 1995 he captured the IBF

super featherweight Super featherweight, also known as junior lightweight, is a weight division in professional boxing, contested between and . The super featherweight division was established by the New York Walker Law in 1920, although first founded by the New ...

title by TKO'ing Eddie Hopson, but lost the belt later in the year when defending against

Arturo Gatti Arturo Gatti (April 15, 1972 – July 11, 2009) was a Canadian professional boxer who competed from 1991 to 2007. A world champion in two weight class (boxing), weight classes, Gatti held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior lightwei ...

. In 1997 he rematched Gatti, but again lost a decision. He retired in 2001 after a draw with a career record of 63–8–2.

Professional boxing record

References

External links