R.I.P. Ingemar Johansson [Archive] - East Side Boxing Forum

TheBradyHawkes

01-31-2009, 12:20 AM

Died yesterday in Sweden.

Swedish Legend Ingemar Johansson died five minutes to Midnight January 30 2009 after a two week long struggle in the last phase of Alzheimers illness. The former Heavyweight Champion of The World was at his death 76 years and 4 month old. He was regarded as Scandinavia’s greatest fighter ever and held the undisputed World Heavyweight Championship 1959-1960; he also held The European Heavyweight Crown 1956-1959 and again 1962-1963.

MRBILL

01-31-2009, 12:22 AM

I guess Ol' Ali is now the oldest former Heavyweight champion still alive.?.?

TheBradyHawkes

01-31-2009, 12:28 AM

Ernie Terrell is still alive I believe. He's a few years older than Ali.

WhataRock

01-31-2009, 12:30 AM

RIP..Truly sad news, losing one of the best.

The Predator

01-31-2009, 12:44 AM

R.I.P Ingo.
I just read the news here on the forums, I probably gonna hear a lot about it today here in Sweden. He is, in my opinion, the biggest sportsman Sweden ever had, cause he won the real title, the biggest title in the world. There will never come another Ingemar Johansson here in Sweden,
The Predator

Russell

01-31-2009, 12:59 AM

Ugh. Someone here just mentioned he must have been one of the oldest remaining champions alive.

RIP Ingo.

MRBILL

01-31-2009, 02:03 AM

Ernie Terrell is still alive I believe. He's a few years older than Ali.

NOBODY takes Ernest Terrell and his "Paper" WBA title seriously........:patsch:shock::deal:hat

MR.BILL

Renofan

01-31-2009, 02:05 AM

RIP Ingo

heehoo

01-31-2009, 02:07 AM

Rest In Peace, Ingo. A true legend.

mcvey

01-31-2009, 02:21 AM

Another land mark in boxing leaves us.
RIP INGEMAR.

Duodenum

01-31-2009, 04:57 AM

I guess Ol' Ali is now the oldest former Heavyweight champion still alive.?.?Ali is indeed the earliest former HW Champion still with us. (I assume that is the context you intended.)

Whatever happened to the lifespan of a Willard, Dempsey, Sharkey or Schemling?

This raises another question. Who is the earliest HW title challenger still alive?

My dinner with Conteh

01-31-2009, 06:27 AM

Good question about the challenger. I know Roland La Starza's still alive but I don't know whether he's the eldest. Also, Jimmy Ellis is older than Ali (if we're counting the WBA tournament).

joe33

01-31-2009, 06:59 AM

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Very sad to read, in his memory ive posted maybe bar the patterson win his most destructive ko over the decent american fighter eddie Machen, rest easy champ you have done your time. One thing watching the vid, is he had great power, but damn they sure did not like to stop fights early back then, poor old eddie should have been rescued a wee bit eariler

GPater11093

01-31-2009, 07:05 AM

good fighter
excellant right hand

was considered a faliure in sweden because of his pro career not livingup to his post olympic hype but if that was a underacheiving career sign me up

RDJ

01-31-2009, 07:12 AM

R.I.P. champ.

Bill1234

01-31-2009, 09:22 AM

Another big loss for boxing. R.I.P. Ingemar.

SouthpawSlayer

01-31-2009, 09:23 AM

rip

Bad_Intentions

01-31-2009, 09:57 AM

Damn it! first jose torres and now ingemar?! :(
RIP.

Minotauro

01-31-2009, 10:21 AM

R.I.P Ingo the way he destoyed Machen was scary.

red cobra

01-31-2009, 10:32 AM

Now Muhammad Ali is the oldest living ex-heavyweight champion.

Ingemar

01-31-2009, 10:35 AM

RIP
Best fighter we swedes ever had. Nobody else ever came close. In a country like sweden who never really cared for boxing and even banned professional boxing in the sixties he was still generally considered the third greatest athlete to ever come from sweden. The two men considered greater than him was bjorn borg (one of the top four tennis players of all time) and Ingemar Stenmark (the greatest alpine skiier of all time). The actual win over Floyd is cinsidered the greatest single moment in swedish sports history. Thank you for being an inspiration and keeping your dignity to the very end.

*bows*

MrMagic

01-31-2009, 10:46 AM

The best fighter ever from Sweden.

And it's not even close, Ingemar was unique in that sense.

Rest in peace champ.

janitor

01-31-2009, 10:48 AM

Last of the old guard gone.

A fined fighter and a fine man outside the ring.

Bokaj

01-31-2009, 11:01 AM

was considered a faliure in sweden because of his pro career not livingup to his post olympic hype but if that was a underacheiving career sign me up

He's NOT considered a failure here in Sweden. His passing is front page news in all the evening papers (the news came to late for the morning papers, I suppose), by the way.

When it comes to sports icons it's him, Björn Borg and Ingemar Stenmark.

janitor

01-31-2009, 11:09 AM

Not everybody agrees with me on this but I think his right hand was p[ossibly the best ever.

MrMagic

01-31-2009, 11:10 AM

Not everybody agrees with me on this but I think his right hand was p[ossibly the best ever.
I think the Machen fight is proof of that, the first right hand he landed made Machens legs just disappear totally.

He had a true gift of a right hand.

GPater11093

01-31-2009, 11:34 AM

He's NOT considered a failure here in Sweden. His passing is front page news in all the evening papers (the news came to late for the morning papers, I suppose), by the way.

When it comes to sports icons it's him, Björn Borg and Ingemar Stenmark.

im not saying he is still classed as an underachiever but after the olympics he was regarded as an under acheiver as many people thought he should have won more. but this has been realised as wrong in time rightfully.

Its a real tribute to a guy have his death on front page news when he is from a minority sport in a country that isnt really into the sport. just shows Ingos poularity

Arka

01-31-2009, 11:39 AM

Its a real tribute to a guy have his death on front page news when he is from a minority sport in a country that isnt really into the sport. just shows Ingos poularity

For a little nation that's not really into sport,they used to produce some world class tennis players-Borg, Wilander, Edberg...... :think

bigG

01-31-2009, 12:04 PM

Bokaj

01-31-2009, 12:29 PM

im not saying he is still classed as an underachiever but after the olympics he was regarded as an under acheiver as many people thought he should have won more. but this has been realised as wrong in time rightfully.

Its a real tribute to a guy have his death on front page news when he is from a minority sport in a country that isnt really into the sport. just shows Ingos poularity

Isn't Sweden into sports? What are you on about? Tennis players like Borg, Wilander and Edberg; football players like Gren, Lidholm, Norddahl, Brolin, Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic... I could go on. These guys are all revered.

Don't know if any other country invests as much per capita into sports as Sweden.

Drew101

01-31-2009, 12:50 PM

RIP.

One of the best and most powerful right hands you'll ever see thrown in the sport, and given that his career was relatively brief, he accomplished a hell of a lot, all things considered.

mcvey

01-31-2009, 12:59 PM

What was that referee thinking of,? He was still counting when Ingo's seconds were in the ring trying to aid him,what did he need to stop the fight ? Johannson had serious power in that right !

MrMagic

01-31-2009, 01:27 PM

ingo's bingo...that right hand!!..i remember reading it was called odins thunder or something??? you swedish guys can maybe help me on this?....when ingo was asked about this he replied, when i throw the right, it lands like toonder.....genuine hw champ, genuine guy, sad loss....
They called it Thor's Hammer.

Like Bert Sugar said, you didn't see Thor's hammer when we punched the heavybag, but in the ring... all of a sudden after jabbing and picking his shots, he laid that right hand out of nowhere. :good

ChrisPontius

01-31-2009, 01:35 PM

Very sad news. He was the only true "old school" heavyweight champion alive; even if Ali (the current oldest former champ) is only 10 years older, he comes from a different generation of fighters.

By the way, can any Swede help me on how to spell his name? I read all kind of variations. är det Ingomar Johansson?

MrMagic

01-31-2009, 01:37 PM

Jimmy_Jazz

01-31-2009, 02:05 PM

I think the Machen fight is proof of that, the first right hand he landed made Machens legs just disappear totally.

He had a true gift of a right hand.

The greatest heavyweight right hand bar none IMO. For him to be remembered in Sweden alongside Bjorn Borg just about says it all.

God bless you Ingo, R.I.P.

MRBILL

01-31-2009, 02:23 PM

Ali is indeed the earliest former HW Champion still with us. (I assume that is the context you intended.)

Whatever happened to the lifespan of a Willard, Dempsey, Sharkey or Schemling?

This raises another question. Who is the earliest HW title challenger still alive?

I've been told its Jimmy Bivins..... But I read a while ago that Bivins had cancer....... If Bivins is still alive, he's got to be hanging on by a thread....:shock:

MR.BILL

NOTE:

Screw that..... Bivins' fight with Louis was NOT for the title.... It was after the fact in the 50s...

MRBILL

01-31-2009, 02:28 PM

Not everybody agrees with me on this but I think his right hand was p[ossibly the best ever.

Uhhh, NO!!:D

MR.BILL

GPater11093

01-31-2009, 02:30 PM

Isn't Sweden into sports? What are you on about? Tennis players like Borg, Wilander and Edberg; football players like Gren, Lidholm, Norddahl, Brolin, Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic... I could go on. These guys are all revered.

Don't know if any other country invests as much per capita into sports as Sweden.

i meant the swedes arnt that into boxing

sorry for the confusion

mattdonnellon

01-31-2009, 02:34 PM

Its acceptable to say Ingo's right hand was the best ever.
Also he is the only Heavyweight champion to NEVER have fought an opponent with a losing (ie win, loss ratio) record.
Finally his other wins over the likes of Cooper etc are allways underated IMO.

TBooze

01-31-2009, 05:13 PM

A good fighter, who's upset of Manchen is one of the bigger ones, and to then go on and flatten Patterson with his Hammer of Thor, was no mean feat.

The third Patterson fight must also be a candidate for most fun Heavyweight Championship fight.

Kudos to the IOC for giving him his medal back before it was too late.

They say these things come in three's; Johansson, Torres and Gutteridge; hopefully this means this great sport will be spared for a while.

markedwardscott

01-31-2009, 07:12 PM

Awesome right hand punch and a class act outside the ring.

Lefty Supremacy

01-31-2009, 07:30 PM

Even the mighty Hammer of Thor couldn't KO death.

RIP champ.

Bokaj

01-31-2009, 11:19 PM

i meant the swedes arnt that into boxing
sorry for the confusionfo

Fair enough. Sorry for the nationalist outburst.

Jack Dempsey

02-01-2009, 03:35 AM

RIP Champ

I think Bivins the oldest challenger still alive

OLD FOGEY

02-01-2009, 03:45 AM

Not everybody agrees with me on this but I think his right hand was p[ossibly the best ever.

It certainly belongs among the best ever.

Ingo could box a bit better than most gave him credit for also, and had good mobility for a big fellow.

My dinner with Conteh

02-01-2009, 03:47 AM

How many heavyweight champs have lived into their 80s. I know Dempsey, Willard, Sharkey and Schmeling did. And Walcott (I think). Either way, all were born before WWI. Ok, some aren't old enough to reach 80 yet but the ones who were have died a bit younger.

apollack

02-01-2009, 09:07 AM

Ingo had a nice, consistent left jab, and that perfectly timed powerful right that made legs go out. His left hook and uppercut weren't always smooth, but he had plenty of power in them as well. Ingo had a KO over Cooper before takeing out Machen, then a very respected boxer who was in line for a shot at Patterson. The trilogy with Patterson were all fun fights, well worth watching. Ingo's biggest weakness was his chin, but no shame in getting stopped by Patterson, who at that time had lightning fast hands and combos.

I've seen Ingo's Olympic final against Sanders, and really cannot understand why he was dq'd. Sure he moved too much and could have punched more, but his performance was simply cautious, not to the point that he should have been disqualified. It made a certain amount of sense against a big strong guy. Ingo effectively used that moving around, jabbing, cautious style in the pros, being patient and awaiting that moment to fire in a killer right, and he may well have been doing the same in the Olympics. I've seen Olympic gold medalists in the past several Olympics fight ten times more cautiously than that. But I guess that shows you the difference in mindset from then to now.

Ramon Rojo

02-01-2009, 09:51 AM

R.I.P Ingo

RockyJim

02-01-2009, 10:50 AM

Met him at a show in Boston back in 1997...nice man...RIP Champ...

salsanchezfan

02-01-2009, 10:55 AM

.............I remember a picture of him in running gear in KO magazine back in 1981, which reported he'd run a marathon around that time. Not bad for an old fart. He looked trim and athletic even at that advanced age.

Nice to hear he was such a nice guy, I'd read nothing but the same about him.

ron u.k.

02-01-2009, 12:49 PM

Floyd Patterson was the first fighter i got into,so i always had an affinity for Johansson also.A succesion of British heavies went over there to be KO'D including Cooper,Richardson and Erskine although in Ingo's last fight Brian London took him the distance and had Ingo down and badly hurt at the final bell.He might not have been one of the greatest champions but with that mighty right hand he certainly made his mark. R.I.P. champ.

MrMagic

02-01-2009, 02:53 PM

Just new information guys, they're planning to build a statue of Ingemar Johansson in his home town of Gothenburg!

Great news, this is how big he is in Sweden, a true hero.

Mendoza

02-01-2009, 03:04 PM

Died yesterday in Sweden.

Ingo was a good man. I heard he was ill for a while. No doubt, he's in a better place right now. After he's done shaking hands, he and Patterson could share a drink. At least that's what I hope.

MrMagic

02-01-2009, 03:13 PM

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ChrisPontius

02-01-2009, 07:29 PM

I've seen Ingo's Olympic final against Sanders, and really cannot understand why he was dq'd. Sure he moved too much and could have punched more, but his performance was simply cautious, not to the point that he should have been disqualified. It made a certain amount of sense against a big strong guy. Ingo effectively used that moving around, jabbing, cautious style in the pros, being patient and awaiting that moment to fire in a killer right, and he may well have been doing the same in the Olympics. I've seen Olympic gold medalists in the past several Olympics fight ten times more cautiously than that. But I guess that shows you the difference in mindset from then to now.

I agree and i'm not saying that to be nice to him because he just passed away. I read SuzieQ's description asif he was literally turning his back to Sanders or something. I saw footage of it a few months ago and he was simply very cautious and tentative to engage; some referees didn't like that, especially back then. But if you look at the majority of Stevenson's fights at the olympics in 72, 76 and 80 summer olympics, you'll find that almost all of his opponent ran the same way.

On a sidenote, Larry Holmes was disqualified in a similar fight if i remember correct.

dmt

02-01-2009, 10:43 PM

Rip

Arka

02-02-2009, 08:24 AM

I've never seen the third fight between Johansson and Patterson before:

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Curtis Lowe

02-03-2009, 11:52 AM