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Ingemar Johansson (born 22 September 1932) was a
Sweden|Swedish List of Heavyweight
Champions|heavyweight boxing|boxer.

He defeated Floyd Patterson to win the List of
Heavyweight Champions|World Heavyweight
Championship. As a result, Johansson won the
Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the
year in 1959 and was named the Associated Press
Male Athlete of the Year and Sports Illustrated
magazine's "Sportsman of the Year".

Johansson's introduction to the sport's limelight
was inauspicious.  He was disqualified for running
from the eventual Olympic Games|olympic gold
medalist, Ed Sanders during the semifinals of the
1952 Helsinki heavyweight competition.  Johansson
maintained he was not fleeing Sanders, but rather
was trying to tire his huge opponent for a planned
third round onslaught.  Nevertheless, his silver
medal was withheld for this poor performance, but
he was presented with the medal in 1982. 

Johansson enjoyed a successful career as a
heavyweight.  He retired in 1963 with a record of
26 wins, 17 by KO, and only 2 losses, and was
named to the Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest
punchers of all time.  He won the European
Heavyweight championship by scoring a 13 round KO
over Italian title holder Franco Cavicchi. 
Johansson successfully defended his European Crown
against ranked heavyweights Henry Cooper (5th
round KO on May 19, 1957}, and Joe Erskine, who he
TKOed in 13 on February 21, 1958.

Johansson earned his shot at the world heavyweight
crown when he Knockout|KOed top ranked contender
Eddie Machen in the first round of their
elimination match.  Johansson then signed to fight
champion Floyd Patterson.  Johansson was a
colorful figure in New York as he trained for the
fight. Eschewing the monastic training regimen
favored by Patterson and other fighters, Johansson
trained at the Catskill resort of Grossingers.  He
didn't seem to train particularly hard, and was
often seen at night spots with his attractive
"secretary".  Accordingly, he entered the ring on
June 26, 1959 as a 5-1 underdog.

Johansson spent the first two rounds of the
encounter retreating and flicking a light left jab
at the champion.  In the third round, Johansson
threw a wide left hook that Patterson blocked with
his right hand.  When he moved his right hand away
from its protective peek-a-boo position before his
chin, Johansson drilled him with a short powerful
right hand.  Patterson went down, arose on
unsteady legs and was out on his feet.  Johansson
followed up his advantage and sent Patterson down
6 more times in the round before the bout was
stopped by referee Ruby Goldstein.

The two signed for a rematch the following year. 
Johansson seemed to train even more cavalierly for
the rematch, but entered the fight as the betting
favorite.  Fighting perhaps the best fight of his
career, Patterson won the fight, and became the
first man in history to regain the heavyweight
championship of the world by scoring a brutal
knockout over Johansson in 5 rounds on June 20,
1960.

Patterson and Johansson fought once more on March
13, 1961.  Although Johansson appeared to be in
the worst physical condition of his three bouts
with Patterson, he caught Patterson leaping at him
in the very first round and knocked him down.  He
followed his advantage up by scoring another
knockdown, but was himself caught going in wide
open by a Patterson left hook that knocked him
down.  As the fight progressed, it became obvious
that Johansson had shot his bolt.  Patterson
eventually KOed him in round 6.

Johansson then returned to Europe, and recaptured
the European crown from Dick Richardson by an
eight round KO on June 17, 1962.  By this time
Sonny Liston had captured the heavyweight crown
from Patterson, and efforts were underway to match
Johansson with Liston.  Johansson, however, fought
journeyman heavyweight, Brian London on March 21,
1963.  With 4 seconds remaining in the fight
London tagged Johansson with a powerful right hand
that knocked him cold.  Fortunately for Johansson,
he was saved by the final bell and awarded the
controversial decision.  Johansson, however, never
fought again. 

start box
succession box |
  before= Floyd Patterson |
  title= List of heavyweight boxing
champions|Heavyweight boxing champion |
  years= 1959–1960 |
  after= Floyd Patterson

end box

de:Ingemar Johansson
ja:インゲマル・ヨハンソン
no:Ingemar Johansson
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