One subject, in depth · bridged to Sideline US
FightIndex
Heavyweight Boxing

Floyd Patterson vs Jimmy Ellis

A fight that actually happened — and everything both records say about it.

Meetings on record

1

Floyd Patterson and Jimmy Ellis met once (1968). Jimmy Ellis won in 1968 by decision.

SOURCE·Floyd Patterson and Jimmy Ellis (boxer) — English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)·both records name the other·REVIEWED AUG 2026

How this head-to-head is established

  1. This pairing exists only because at least one of the two articles' own results tables names the other fighter. No matchup on this site is speculative and none is a hypothetical.
  2. Every figure in the comparison below comes from that fighter's own page and carries the same source line. A dash means the source states nothing, not that the value is zero.
  3. Common opponents are found by matching linked bout lists, which is only possible because every fight list here is linked to every other. A shared opponent is not a transitive result and this page does not treat it as one.
  4. Nothing on this page predicts an outcome. It is a comparison of what is on record.

Sources, exclusions and known limits →

Side by side

What both records stateAUG 2026
Floyd PattersonJimmy Ellis
71″ (180.3 cm)Reach76″ (193 cm)
72″ (183 cm)Height73″ (185.4 cm)
-1.48%Reach advantage+4.1%
55–8Record40–12
73%Finish rate60%
20Longest unbeaten run13
62Recorded bouts57
OrthodoxStanceOrthodox

A comparison of what is on record. Nothing here predicts a result.

Common opponents

Both fought these 8. This is the comparison the siloed databases cannot make, because it needs every fight list linked to every other.

OpponentFloyd PattersonJimmy Ellis
Muhammad Ali L L
George Chuvalo W W
Jerry Quarry L W
Oscar Bonavena W W
Muhammad Ali L ?
Muhammad Ali L ?
Muhammad Ali L ?
Muhammad Ali L ?

Both records, drawn

The same ledger line on each: wins stamped above the rule, losses below, the mark's shape carrying how it ended.

Floyd Patterson

195019601970win v Lalu Sabotin, 1952, kowin v Lester Johnson, 1952, kowin v Sammy Walker, 1952win v Eddie Godbold, 1952win v Dick Wagner, 1953, kowin v Wes Bascom, 1953win v Gordon Wallace, 1953, kowin v Chester Mieszala, 1953, kowin v Jimmy Slade, 1954, decisionwin v Joe Gannon, 1954, decisionwin v Esau Ferdinand, 1954, decisionwin v Tommy Harrison, 1954, kowin v Jacques Royer Crecy, 1954, koloss v Joey Maxim, 1954, decisionwin v Jesse Turner, 1954, decisionwin v Alvin Williams, 1954, decisionwin v Sammy Brown, 1954, kowin v Yvon Durelle, 1954, decisionwin v Jimmy Slade, 1955, kowin v Calvin Brad, 1955, kowin v Dave Whitlock, 1955, kowin v Alvin Williams, 1955, kowin v Archie McBride, 1955, kowin v Yvon Durelle, 1955win v Esau Ferdinand, 1955, kowin v Don Grant, 1955, kowin v Willie Troy, 1955, kowin v Archie Moore, 1956, kowin v Tommy Jackson, 1956, decisionwin v Alvin Williams, 1956, kowin v Jimmy Walls, 1956, kowin v Pete Rademacher, 1957, kowin v Tommy Jackson, 1957, kowin v Roy Harris, 1958, koloss v Ingemar Johansson, 1959, kowin v Brian London, 1959, kowin v Ingemar Johansson, 1960, kowin v Tom McNeeley, 1961, kowin v Ingemar Johansson, 1961, koloss v Sonny Liston, 1962, koloss v Sonny Liston, 1963, kowin v Charlie Powell, 1964, kowin v Eddie Machen, 1964win v Santo Amonti, 1964, koloss v Muhammad Ali, 1965, kowin v Tod Herring, 1965, kowin v George Chuvalo, 1965, decisionwin v Henry Cooper, 1966, koloss v Jerry Quarry, 1967win v Bill McMurray, 1967, kowin v Willie Johnson, 1967, koloss v Jimmy Ellis, 1968, decisionwin v Charley Green, 1970, kowin v Charlie Harris, 1971, kowin v Vic Brown, 1971, decisionwin v Charley Polite, 1971, decisionwin v Terry Daniels, 1971, decisionwin v Roger Russell, 1971, kowin v Levi Forte, 1971, koloss v Muhammad Ali, 1972, kowin v Pedro Agosto, 1972, kowin v Oscar Bonavena, 1972, decision
WON ABOVE·LOST BELOW BAR = STOPPAGE·BROKEN BAR = SUBMISSION·TICK = DECISION 1952–1972
1960 1970 win vs Lalu Sabotin (1952)win vs Lester Johnson (1952)win vs Sammy Walker (1952)win vs Eddie Godbold (1952)win vs Dick Wagner (1953)win vs Wes Bascom (1953)win vs Gordon Wallace (1953)win vs Chester Mieszala (1953)win vs Jimmy Slade (1954)win vs Joe Gannon (1954)win vs Esau Ferdinand (1954)win vs Tommy Harrison (1954)win vs Jacques Royer Crecy (1954)loss vs Joey Maxim (1954)win vs Jesse Turner (1954)win vs Alvin Williams (1954)win vs Sammy Brown (1954)win vs Yvon Durelle (1954)win vs Jimmy Slade (1955)win vs Calvin Brad (1955)win vs Dave Whitlock (1955)win vs Alvin Williams (1955)win vs Archie McBride (1955)win vs Yvon Durelle (1955)win vs Esau Ferdinand (1955)win vs Don Grant (1955)win vs Willie Troy (1955)win vs Archie Moore (1956)win vs Tommy Jackson (1956)win vs Alvin Williams (1956)win vs Jimmy Walls (1956)win vs Pete Rademacher (1957)win vs Tommy Jackson (1957)win vs Roy Harris (1958)loss vs Ingemar Johansson (1959)win vs Brian London (1959)win vs Ingemar Johansson (1960)win vs Tom McNeeley (1961)win vs Ingemar Johansson (1961)loss vs Sonny Liston (1962)loss vs Sonny Liston (1963)win vs Charlie Powell (1964)win vs Eddie Machen (1964)win vs Santo Amonti (1964)loss vs Muhammad Ali (1965)win vs Tod Herring (1965)win vs George Chuvalo (1965)win vs Henry Cooper (1966)loss vs Jerry Quarry (1967)win vs Bill McMurray (1967)win vs Willie Johnson (1967)loss vs Jimmy Ellis (1968)win vs Charley Green (1970)win vs Charlie Harris (1971)win vs Vic Brown (1971)win vs Charley Polite (1971)win vs Terry Daniels (1971)win vs Roger Russell (1971)win vs Levi Forte (1971)loss vs Muhammad Ali (1972)win vs Pedro Agosto (1972)win vs Oscar Bonavena (1972)
winlossdraw / NC1952–1972

Jimmy Ellis

196019701980loss v Holley Mims, 1961, decisionwin v Clarence Riley, 1961win v Wilf Greaves, 1961win v Johnny Morris, 1961win v Gene Leslie, 1961win v Arley Seifer, 1961win v LeRoy Green, 1962, decisionloss v Henry Hank, 1962, decisionwin v Charlie Glover, 1962win v Sammy Poe, 1962, decisionwin v Rudolph Bent, 1962, kowin v Holley Mims, 1962, decisionwin v Johnny Alford, 1962, decisionwin v Rory Calhoun, 1962win v Luis Gutierrez, 1963, decisionwin v Johnny Halafihi, 1963, koloss v George Benton, 1964, decisionloss v Don Fullmer, 1964, decisionwin v Joe Spencer, 1964, koloss v Rubin Carter, 1964, decisionwin v Chuck Leslie, 1965, decisionwin v Joe Blackwood, 1965, koresult not stated v Muhammad Ali, 1965win v Tommy Sims, 1966, kowin v Eddie Dembry, 1966, kowin v Billy Daniels, 1966, decisionwin v Leweni Waqa, 1966, kowin v Hubert Hilton, 1966, decisionwin v Oscar Bonavena, 1967, decisionwin v Leotis Martin, 1967, kowin v Johnny Persol, 1967, kowin v Floyd Patterson, 1968, decisionwin v Jerry Quarry, 1968, decisionwin v Roberto Davila, 1970, koloss v Joe Frazier, 1970, koloss v Muhammad Ali, 1971, kowin v George Chuvalo, 1971, decisionwin v Tony Doyle, 1971, kowin v Harold Carter, 1972, kowin v Ollie Wilson, 1972, kowin v Rico Brooks, 1972, kowin v Dick Gosha, 1972, koloss v Boone Kirkman, 1973, decisionwin v Al Jones, 1973, koloss v Earnie Shavers, 1973, kowin v Rico Brooks, 1973, kowin v Joe Tiger Harris, 1973, kowin v Charlie Harris, 1973, kowin v Bob Felstein, 1973, koloss v Joe Bugner, 1974, decisionloss v Ron Lyle, 1974, decisiondraw v Larry Middleton, 1974, drawwin v Carl Baker, 1975, koloss v Joe Frazier, 1975, koresult not stated v Muhammad Ali, 1979result not stated v Muhammad Ali, 1980result not stated v Muhammad Ali, 1982
WON ABOVE·LOST BELOW BAR = STOPPAGE·BROKEN BAR = SUBMISSION·TICK = DECISION 1961–1982
1970 1980 loss vs Holley Mims (1961)win vs Clarence Riley (1961)win vs Wilf Greaves (1961)win vs Johnny Morris (1961)win vs Gene Leslie (1961)win vs Arley Seifer (1961)win vs LeRoy Green (1962)loss vs Henry Hank (1962)win vs Charlie Glover (1962)win vs Sammy Poe (1962)win vs Rudolph Bent (1962)win vs Holley Mims (1962)win vs Johnny Alford (1962)win vs Rory Calhoun (1962)win vs Luis Gutierrez (1963)win vs Johnny Halafihi (1963)loss vs George Benton (1964)loss vs Don Fullmer (1964)win vs Joe Spencer (1964)loss vs Rubin Carter (1964)win vs Chuck Leslie (1965)win vs Joe Blackwood (1965)? vs Muhammad Ali (1965)win vs Tommy Sims (1966)win vs Eddie Dembry (1966)win vs Billy Daniels (1966)win vs Leweni Waqa (1966)win vs Hubert Hilton (1966)win vs Oscar Bonavena (1967)win vs Leotis Martin (1967)win vs Johnny Persol (1967)win vs Floyd Patterson (1968)win vs Jerry Quarry (1968)win vs Roberto Davila (1970)loss vs Joe Frazier (1970)loss vs Muhammad Ali (1971)win vs George Chuvalo (1971)win vs Tony Doyle (1971)win vs Harold Carter (1972)win vs Ollie Wilson (1972)win vs Rico Brooks (1972)win vs Dick Gosha (1972)loss vs Boone Kirkman (1973)win vs Al Jones (1973)loss vs Earnie Shavers (1973)win vs Rico Brooks (1973)win vs Joe Tiger Harris (1973)win vs Charlie Harris (1973)win vs Bob Felstein (1973)loss vs Joe Bugner (1974)loss vs Ron Lyle (1974)draw vs Larry Middleton (1974)win vs Carl Baker (1975)loss vs Joe Frazier (1975)? vs Muhammad Ali (1979)? vs Muhammad Ali (1980)? vs Muhammad Ali (1982)
winlossdraw / NC1961–1982

See what every site in this family answers

Published by

Amit Sharma

Auckland real-estate agent and marketer. Builds free, sourced data tools.