Ingemar Johansson, RIP

[GA Russell]

Ingemar Johansson was the last white guy to be the heavyweight champion until the Klitchko brothers came along. My recollection is that neither he nor Patterson was very good, and that by fighting each other once a year, they tied up the title for two years and kept Zora Foley at bay.

Here's his AP obituary:

http://sports.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/...portsOther/home

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Ingemar Johansson, the Swede who stunned the boxing world by knocking out Floyd Patterson to win the heavyweight title in 1959, has died, a longtime friend said Saturday. Johansson was 76. Johansson died at a nursing home in Kungsbacka on the Swedish west coast, said Stig Caldeborn, a close friend who sparred with Johansson when they were in their teens.

Caldeborn said he didn't know the cause of death but told The Associated Press that Johansson had recently returned to the nursing home after being hospitalized with pneumonia.

Johansson's daughter, Maria Gregner, told Swedish news agency TT that the former champion died just before midnight Friday.

Johansson was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia more than 10 years ago, when he lived in Stockholm. He spent the rest of his life in Kungsbacka, only a few miles from the house where he grew up.

Johansson knocked out Patterson in the third round at Yankee Stadium on June 26, 1959, to win the heavyweight title. He floored the American seven times in the third round before referee Ruby Goldstein stopped the fight 2:03 into it.

Back home, hundreds of thousands of Swedes listened to the live radio broadcast at 3 a.m. as Johansson became only the fifth heavyweight champion born outside the United States. His feat earned him The Associated Press' Male Athlete of the Year in 1959, only the second Swede to win the award.

Patterson avenged the upset loss a year later in the rematch in New York, knocking Johansson out in the fifth round. In March 1961, the Swede floored Patterson twice in Miami before being knocked out in the sixth round of the rubber match.

Johansson had four more fights — all wins, one of them a knockout of England's Dick Richardson for the European title in 1962 — before retiring the following year.

Johansson was married and divorced twice, and is also survived by five children. Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.

[Brownian Motion]

Another old pug with alzheimers. RIP.

[connoisseur series500]

Ingemar Johansson was the last white guy to be the heavyweight champion until the Klitchko brothers came along.

You forgot about the white South African, Gerrie Coetzee, who won one of the alphabet titles in the 70s/80s.

It is fitting that Johansson passes within a year of Floyd's departure. The two fighters were linked together after the triad of bouts. They were pretty evenly matched.

I think boxing is banned in Sweden today.

I would prefer that America would follow suit and ban it also. So many boxers suffer from permanent damage at the end of their careers.

[T.D.]

I would prefer that America would follow suit and ban it also. So many boxers suffer from permanent damage at the end of their careers.

I agree. Was once a big boxing fan, but between the high incidence of Alzheimer's (see just about any ex-pug's obit) and predatory managers like Don King, the sport totally turned me off.

[Chalupa]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Life_as_a_Dog

[Jazzmoose]

I would prefer that America would follow suit and ban it also. So many boxers suffer from permanent damage at the end of their careers.

I agree. Was once a big boxing fan, but between the high incidence of Alzheimer's (see just about any ex-pug's obit) and predatory managers like Don King, the sport totally turned me off.

If we're going to ban sports because of damage to the athletes, we'd better throw football into the mix as well. On the other hand, Don King is a pretty convincing argument...