Former heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson has died
Former heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson has died at the age of 76. Johansson knocked out Floyd Patterson to win the heavyweight title in 1959. According to wire reports, Johansson had been in a nursing home for around five years and was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Johansson had tremendous power with his right hand and the punch was called "Hammer of Thor" and "Ingo's Bingo."
Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, Johansson won a silver medal at the 1952 Olympics. In 1956 he captured the European heavyweight title and successfully retained it twice, including a win over Henry Cooper. A sensational first-round knockout over top contender Eddie Machen put Johansson in line for a shot against Patterson. In their first meeting, Ingo knocked Patterson down seven times in three rounds to win the title at Yankee Stadium.
Johansson and Patterson fought twice more with Floyd capturing each of those bouts by knockout. The second was held at the Polo Grounds and third at Miami Beach's Convention Center. Those two defeats accounted for the only losses of Ingo's pro career. He retired in 1963 with a 26-2 (17 KOs) record.
In 2002, Johansson was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
“Ingemar Johansson captured the imagination of boxing fans in Sweden and all across the world,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Edward Brophy. “The Hall of Fame is saddened to learn of his passing and joins the boxing community in mourning his death.”
Johansson and Patterson reunited in the 1980s to run the New York City Marathon.
-- CASSIDY
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