And speaking of dudes getting knocked the fuck out...

On this day in 1963, all-time No Mas Hall-of-Famer Floyd Patterson was the beneficiary of his second consecutive first-round knockout at the hands of the Mafia's own monster, Charles "Sonny" Liston.

Floyd was never a true heavyweight anyway, bulked up to 215 or so for the Liston fights, having fought the majority of his bouts in the 190's. And even in his finer moments, Floyd was no stranger to the canvas - note the nine total knockdowns he suffered in his brutal trilogy with the Hammer of Thor, Ingmar Johannson.

In short, though a great personage and an exciting stylist, Floyd was little more than an interim king of the heavyweights, destined to fall when he came across a true thunder-and-lightning man like Liston.

And fall he did. In the first Liston donnybrook, he went down once and for all at 2:05 of the first - in the second, he lasted only four extra seconds, going down for the third and final time at 2:09 of the opening round.

Both of the Liston losses were grave embarassments for Floyd, a proud and delicate man. It was around this time that he descended into a severe depression and started walking around in disguise so he would not be recognized on the streets. Strange guy, Floyd Patterson - the deeply sensitive fighter. We have not seen many of his ilk in our time, and there is a reason for that. He died this past May at the age of 71, graceful and thoughtful to the last.