SLIPPERY ROCK — Alan Levy enjoys writing literature and he described boxing as "a good literary subject."

So he took a swing at it.

Levy, 58, a professor of history at Slippery Rock University for 25 years, has written nine books.

The subject of his most recent work, "Floyd Patterson: A Boxer and a Gentleman," was two-time world heavyweight boxing champion.

He got the idea to write about Patterson from Bernie Freidberg, an SRU faculty colleague.

"Bernie is a former amateur boxer himself and he's followed the sport religiously," Levy said. "I thought he'd be the guy to help me narrow down a subject.

"Guys like Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis have been written about numerous times. No one had ever done an extensive work on Floyd Patterson and his background intrigued me."

Levy took 2½ years to complete the research for the 300-page book.

Patterson died in 2006 at age 71. His handlers are dead, as are most of his signature opponents.

"There was really nobody available to interview who would have been pertinent to the book," Levy said.

Patterson was 55-8-1 with 40 knockouts in his pro career. When he first won the world heavyweight title at age 31, he became the youngest fighter to do so.

Levy did much of his research through newspapers in major cities in which Patterson fought. He perused microfilm in those towns, acquiring much detail on each one of the fighter's pro bouts.

"I got my first draft done in 2007 and the finished product was ready in 2008," he said.

Patterson was the youngest of 11 children and grew up in a poor Brooklyn, N.Y., family.

"He felt ashamed as a youth because he couldn't help the family provide, so he stole food, ran away from home and hid out in the subway for days at a time," Levy said.

At age 10, Patterson was sent to a boys reform school. That school used boxing as an athletic training outlet. Patterson had two older brothers who boxed, so he tried it.

Boxing trainer Cus D'Amato, who later trained Mike Tyson, noticed Patterson's skills.

"He recognized Patterson's potential and took him under his wing," Levy said.

Patterson went on to win an Olympic gold medal in 1952. As his pro career developed, he became involved with the NAACP and befriended Martin Luther King and Ted Abernathy.

"Muhammad Ali had more radical political views that picked up more steam because he was the better boxer at the time," Levy said.

Levy's book includes an opinionated section in which he states pro boxing should require headgear in the ring, as the amateurs do.

"So many pro boxers eventually suffer and/or die from dementia or head trauma," Levy said. "Floyd Patterson couldn't remember his wife's name for the last six years of his life.

"Jerry Quarry died that way, you see the shape Ali is in. ... Football players have to wear helmets on the field, why can't boxers wear headgear?"

Levy's book is available through the SGA bookstore on the SRU campus, Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.

Slippery Rock University history professor Alan Levy has written four sports books:<B><I>Rube Waddell</I> — </B>A biography of the zany, yet brilliant, baseball pitcher of 100 years ago<B><I>Tackling Jim Crow</I> — </B>A study of the origins, breakdowns and legacies of racial segregation in pro football<B><I>Joe McCarthy, Architect of the Yankee Dynasty</I> — </B>Biography of the New York Yankees manager during their string of championships in the 1930s and '40s.<B><I>Floyd Patterson, a Boxer and a Gentleman — </B></I>A look at the athletic, personal and political travails of the heavyweight champion