JOHANSSON was born in Gothenburg, Sweden and won a silver medal in the heavyweight division at the 1952 Olympics. He turned pro in December of that year.
A good boxer, he carried a tremendous knockout punch in his right hand, affectionately dubbed the "Hammer of Thor" and "Ingo's Bingo." He captured the European heavyweight title in 1956 and successfully retained it twice, including a win over Henry Cooper.
However, his sensational first round knockout over top contender Eddie Machen put Johansson in line for a shot at Floyd Patterson's heavyweight title. Johansson astounded the boxing world by knocking Patterson down seven times in three rounds to claim the title on June 26, 1959.
Patterson avenged the loss with a 5th round KO, and despite having Patterson down twice in their rubber match, Ingemar succumbed in the 6th round. Johansson regained his European title and then retired in 1963 following a 12-round win over Brian London.
Johansson remains a national hero in his native land.
Johansson's pro record reads 26-2 (17KOs).
Born: Sept. 22, 1932
Died: Jan. 30, 2009
Bouts: 28
Won: 26
Lost: 2
Draw: 0
KOs: 17
Induction: 2002
Courtesy of The Ring
Ingemar Johansson
