From The Beginning

Former heavyweight champ Ingemar Johannson died in a Swedish nursing home in January 2009 at the age of 76. He’d lived in the nursing home in his hometown of Kungsbacka since the mid’90′s when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia. No official cause of death was given, but Johannson had suffered a serious bout with pneumonia just prior to his death.

Johannson earned worldwide fame and superstar status in his native Sweden when he knocked out Floyd Patterson in’59. At the time, he was only the 5th heavyweight champion in history to be born outside of the United States. Johannson was a decided underdog heading into the fight, and made his victory even more improbable due to his lax approach to training. He was a fixture at Catskills nightclubs and bars during his training camp, frequently in the company of his comely blond ‘secretary’ or other attractive women. Patterson, meanwhile, was disciplined and regimented in his preparation for the fight.

His performance against the champ that night in Yankee Stadium shocked the boxing world”after a tentative first two rounds, Johannson floored Patterson with a short right early in the third. The champ never recovered and with no three knockdown rule in effect was knocked down a total of seven times before referee Ruby Goldstein called a halt to the proceedings and awarded the Swede the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.

Johannson would hold the title for just under a year before he lost it back to Patterson in a rematch at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Patterson was the aggressor from the opening bell, and would eventually regain his title as he knocked Johannson out cold in the fifth round with a looping left hook. Johannson went down like he got shot, and took a ten count staring up at the lights with his leg twitching and blood dribbling out of his mouth. In the immediate aftermath of his victory, Patterson displayed the class of a champion as he was more concerned about Johanssons well being than celebrating his win. Patterson sat on the canvas with his fallen opponent cradling his head as medical personnel tended to Johannson. Floyd Patterson had just become the first man to regain the undisputed heavyweight championship, but his thoughts were with the man hed taken the title from.

The two men would fight for a third time nine months later in Miami Beach, Florida. Though Johannson appeared to be out of shape entering the battle, he fought bravely in an exciting slugfest that saw both men taste the canvas at various points in the bout. The first round was particularly epic, with Patterson down twice and Johannson once. Soon after, however, it became apparent that Johannson knew an early assault was his only real chance at victory. The superior conditioning of Patterson took over, and he put his opponent away for good in the 6th round. Johannson would fight four more times , posting victories in Sweden before retiring from the ring in’63.

Patterson and Johannson remained close lifelong friends and would travel to visit each other every year until the American champion died in 2006. While it is commonplace today for former in-ring adversaries to become close personal friends(eg: Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosely, Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti), it was less common in the’60s. Johannson remained a big star in Sweden, occasionally appearing in movies and enjoyed good health well into his 60′s when old age began to take its toll.

Johannson was married and divorced twice, and is survived by five children. Ingemar Johannson enjoyed rock star like status in Sweden during his title reign and remained a widely respected and admired sportsman throughout his life. He’ll be remembered by the international boxing community for the vital role he played in popularizing the sport in Europe and Scandinavia.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer specializing in travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.