Sport: The End for Eddie

To his 20-ft.-square world. Heavyweight Eddie Machen brought unquestioned skill and uncommon pride. A strong, lithe Negro from Redding, Calif. Machen was no classic heavyweight—only 23 of his 41 victories were by knockouts—but he was easily the most talented boxer in a division that was dominated by a bunch of classless pugs. He taunted opponents gleefully ("What's the matter—can't you hit me?"), beat them with eye-catching combination punches. Until 1958 he was undefeated; he ranked as the No. 1 challenger and seemed sure to get a crack at the title held by Floyd Patterson. Then...