Ingemar Johansson the man who was disqualified in the 1952 Olympic Heavyweight final for running away from his opponent Ed Sanders became Europe's best heavyweight since Max Schmeling thirty years earlier. In a tragic footnote Ed Sanders died in 1954 following a knockout defeat. Johansson's cowardice as an amateur disappeared as a professional.
Ingo was a big man standing over 6' and weighing over 200lbs, he wasn't a great boxer but he did possess a remarkably powerful right hand. In Europe he was dominant blowing away the likes of Henry Cooper with ease. He mounted the world stage with a remarkable one round ko of top contender Eddie Machen. This may have been a freak result but stopping Machen was something that proved beyond the likes of Sonny Liston, Zora Folley and Cleveland Williams all remembered for their punching power.
In his first fight against Floyd Patterson in 1959, Ingo's right was a fearsome weapon putting the champion on the canvas every time it landed. After winning the title Ingo enjoyed the spoils like many of his predecessors and turned up for his June 1960 rematch with Patterson in poor condition. Unkind critics suggested that the only exercise Ingo had been taking was night time wrestling with his girlfriend. Patterson on the other hand had trained like a demon and fought like a man possessed.
After he had weathered Patterson's ferocious assault for four rounds Ingo folded in the fifth and finished flat on his back unconscious with his leg twitching. For a brief spell it looked like a tragedy was unfolding, Patterson stopped celebrating and a crowd formed round Johansson. Fortunately after a few anxious moments the big Swede regained consciousness and was able to leave the ring unaided.
The final fight of the Patterson Johansson trilogy in March 1961 was another dramatic affair. Both men went down in the first and then traded power shots for five rounds before Ingo was counted out in the sixth. Ingo never touched the Championship heights again. He went back to Sweden won the European Title again and retired after beating Brian London on points in a fight that is remembered primarily for the fact that London knocked Ingo out seconds before the final bell. In an amazing piece of luck the bell rang before the ref could count Ingo out. Ingo took this as a sign that it was time to hang up his gloves and he never fought again.
Post boxing Ingo lived on the millions he made from the Patterson fights and appears to have been a genuinely good bloke. His ranking in the heavyweight pantheon is difficult to measure because he certainly had a great right hand that could stop almost anyone but if you could avoid being tagged then you could put Ingo on the floor. The only other champ he fought was Patterson so you can only rate Ingo in comparison to Floyd. Floyd pre-Sonny Liston was a brittle fighter who shrank from big punchers. After falling to Liston Floyd changed into a tougher more durable character who gave many of the sixties big names a hard fight. So what does this mean for Ingo well I would say he rates in the lower ranks of heavyweight champs he wasn't the worst by any means. He would easily dispose of the Leon Spinks, Hasim Rahman and Primo Carneras of this world.
Johansson was not knocked out in the London fight. He got up at the count of four just as the bell sounded to end the 12th round and the fight,