Floyd Patterson vs Ingemar Johansson I - June 26, 1959 - Round 3

Floyd Patterson vs Ingemar Johansson I
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Floyd Patterson defends the Heavyweight Championship of the World for the fifth time against the European Champion, Ingemar Johansson of Sweden. This would be a defining moment for both boxers as they start their epic and historical trilogy.
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Their records at the time
Floyd Patterson: 35-1
Ingemar Johansson: 21-0

[@grytlappar]

My brother was born when Ingemar Johansson won the title, and they had the match on in the delivery room, on radio. This was in Sweden. (So it was June 27 there, this d.o.b.). You can imagine just how huge this was in Sweden, all of Sweden just stopped, the streets were empty. Except if you were giving birth of course, no stopping that!

[@OlleForsberg]

Of course the streets were empty, the match took place in the middle of the night, Swedish time.

[@leodavies9383]

@@fredrikstrand5561 cool ingemar was my great uncle

[@ronaldlevao8251]

Great memory. Ingo had a tough time of it in his final years, but he was a splendid boxer. His right hand was among the best--Baer, Marciano. et al.

[@cococabeza7284]

a

[@abrahmanharun2154]

When Ali fought Foreman in 1974, all the streets in the world were empty, day or night.

[@donquixote5927]

We can talk about how horribly late the stoppage was, or we could talk about how beautifully Johansson set up that first knockdown. Watch in slow mo and see when ever Johansson threw the jab Patterson ducked forward, Ingemar saw this and timed it to set up a left hook. Just before the knockdown he tried it but was just a little out of range and didn't land right. Johansson got a little closer and tried again, it didn't hand clean on the chin but was just enough to push Pattersons guard away leaving him open for "Thors Hammer" as he liked to call it. Patterson was on Queer Street for the rest of the round after until the ref finally stopped it.

[@andersbjorklund9432]

noticed it too! i don’t know shit about boxing techniques though, and i didn’t register that he tried several times, but I DID see that he “helped Patterson’s head ever so slightly into the path of his right fist” as my layman boxing mind put it.

[@bigboris5774]

Patterson had balls of steel. Went down 7 times, didn’t even know where he was after the first yet kept getting up.

[@jeffreykoran4820]

IF THAT FIGHT WERE TODAY....IT WOULD HAVE BEEN STOPPED IN THE FIRST ROUND....TIMES HAVE CHANGED

[@bear022013]

Loved it then and love it now!!!

[@aem870]

Patterson finished him like leftovers when they fought again.

[@rickwoelfel4876]

Refereeing was much different in this era. No mandatory 8 count. Also, referees generally allowed fighters to take a lot more punishment before stopping a bout, particularly in championship bouts and particularly if the champion was in trouble.

[@TRUECOLDMETAL]

Johansson would be my favorite heavyweight, and therefore my favorite boxer overall; if I didn't have a soft spot for Marciano, that is. Such class, athleticism, and power. A real master at work.

[@ppuh6tfrz646]

LOL.

[@kenclayton5088]

Just wish he had trained properly...what a punch

[@manuginobilisbaldspot2]

Lmao…lemme guess Gerry Cooney #3? Maybe Jerry Quarry? GTFOH

[@petereuropa]

With that referee Foreman could have won in "the Rumble in the Jungle". Anyway, Ingemar was great in this match, but Floyd was great, very strong, to win the two matches after vs Ingemar. It's nice that Floyd and Ingemar were friends for the rest of their life. A Champ is always a Champ!

[@abrahmanharun2154]

Foreman could not had won over Ali in "The Rumble in the Jungle" with any referee. Ali outsmarted Foreman with his rope-a-dope. Ali has metal chin and strong stamina. Although not a heavy puncher, Ali has rapid punches and agility to avoid punches.

[@MasterFatness]

Ingo's technique wasn't pretty, but that right hand was not to be messed with!

[@jdp18]

I know it was a championship bout but was the ref waiting for Patterson to be killed before he stopped the fight?

[@wildstyle203]

UMMMM....I THINK SO...IT WAS 1959 U KNOW LMFAO

[@wheelinthesky300]

The fight should have been stopped at 38 sec when Floyd clearly did not know where he was. That would be after the 2nd knockdown.

[@Mikep487]

No, that would have been too soon. I agree after the fourth knockdown.

[@ccali327]

you beat me to it. right after the first knockdown, when he started walking toward the corner, it should have been over. this was basically the continuation of one punch. really dangerous

[@alexjaep]

nice to get really good quality video.

[@scholion]

Today, this had never been allowed. It's nothing but sheer slaughter.

[@DavidGee51]

Man, that was just sad to watch. Considering that the ref did stop the fight after the seventh knockdown, he could have stopped it after that second knockdown. Patterson's very fortunate that the next five knockdowns were from glancing blows.

[@johngerard3218]

Patterson said that Ingo hit harder than Liston did. Different, but harder.

[@Mikep487]

There's not a chance that's true. Liston brutalized him TWICE.

[@crawfordgalbraith73]

@@Mikep487 Why? Because Liston was bigger and meaner looking? Don't you think Patterson might be in a better position than you or me to be the judge? Ingemar was far from the complete fighter, but his straight right was possibly the hardest In heavyweight history. He also generated terrible force with his uppercut and shovel punches. His technique was unusual which makes a technical analasys difficult, but just look at the effect his punches had on Eddie Machen for example. Nobody ever knocked Machen stone cold unconscious like Ingo did. Not Nino Valdes, not Sonny Liston, not Cleveland Williams, not Floyd Patterson not Jerry Quarry, not Joe Frazier. Nobody! And Machen was at his absolute peak at the time. He was unbeaten and the No.1 Contender for the heavyweight title at the time Ingo blasted him out in the 1st.

[@andersbjorklund9432]

@@crawfordgalbraith73 I had never seen that 1958 Machen K.O before. That’s one BRUTAL knockout. Was boxing just a more brutal sport, or was that awful and dangerous refereeing even back then?

[@thespy7795]

Liston never said ANY such thing liar.

[@johngerard3218]

@@thespy7795 Stupid, learn how to read. I said Patterson said it, not Liston. He said it in an interview with Ron Lipton. Have your mom read it to you next time. If you don't believe me email Lipton for the interview.

[@44032]

People questioned Floyd's heart but he got up 6 times after being down. The problem wasn't his heart. It was his chin. Imagine if he'd ever fought Marciano....

[@44032]

jimi hendrix Floyd would not have been down 6 times vs. Marciano. Once would have been enough.

[@44032]

jimi hendrix Rock retired because there wasn't anyone to fight. I've checked the Ring ratings and Patterson wasn't even ranked in the top ten at the time, except as a light heavyweight. Rock didn't come out of retirement to fight Patterson because he had nothing to prove by doing do. No one with Patterson's chin would have lasted very long against him.

[@44032]

jimi hendrix A fighter's decision to come out of retirement in his mid 30's and come back into training is based on far more than the opponent. Remember also that rocky fought Joe Louis when he was passed his prime and it was a sad occasion. He may have made a decision not to go on too long, as Joe did.

[@44032]

jimi hendrix Again, you are not ducking someone if they weren't even rated in the top ten when you retired: boxrec.com/media/index.php/The_Ring_Magazine%27s_Annual_Ratings:_1955

[@44032]

jimi hendrix I googled it and the #1 link was this:answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111005161120AATw0xf The Marciano Patterson fight was in negotiation in 1960, after Patterson came back to beat Johannson. Rocky was 37 at the time but willing to fight Floyd until he found out his old manager, Al Weill, would get a cut. That's why he turned it down. .

[@ppuh6tfrz646]

Thanks for posting this. I'd like to see uninterrupted footage of the third round with slow motion replays shown afterwards. Does anyone have a link for this?

[@GregDad100]

Say what you want, but that second knock down (when Floyd was in such a daze he was heading back to his corner) would have stopped almost anyone. Patterson was one brave boxer (getting up twice in the second Liston fight). Cassius Clay's tirades against him, calling him an "Uncle Tom" just should how classless he really was (he also referred to Joe Frazier as a "gorilla").

[@ronaldlevao8251]

It's true that Ruby Goldstein, a top fighter in his day, was slow in stopping this bout. There had been controversy about his stopping fights too early (I think he refereed Sugar Ray Robinson vs, Randy Turpin II), so in a heavyweight title bout he was trying the give the champion "a chance." Unfortunately, two years later, he was the referee who stepped in a few seconds too late, which may have been a main cause for the Emile Griffith-Benny Paret fatality.

[@chiefcaptainmoroni1]

You can see John Wayne sitting ringside in the fight. He stands up at 3:34 like he is going to leave, but sits back down.

[@upstandingcitizen3877]

He probably had money on the fight..

[@orbyfan]

He and William Holden were part of the radio broadcast (kzbin.info/www/bejne/noC9gZSkmrmIlaM), sponsored by "The Horse Soldiers," John Ford's film in which they co-starred. You can even hear Wayne briefly at the end of the Swedish radio broadcast (kzbin.info/www/bejne/rniXfZ-CqcSImqc).

[@michaelh1889]

Johansen had that right glued to his own chin... He stopped doing that in the next two fights...

[@TomTimeTraveler]

David Janssen's long lost twin brother? Seriously, a great fighter.

[@bluedog15]

In this day and age it would have been, I remember being shocked by this when I first saw it, thinking "stop it, stop the fight". and though Johannson broke no rules its still crap form punching a guy from behind like that.

[@keithkimmeysr953]

Johannson struck Patterson from behind and rabbit punched him too Floyd had no idea where he was after 1st knockdown referee was out to lunch RIP Floyd Patterson you had class

[@1985OldSkool]

@kinneyshoe either that, or the three knockdown rule was not in effect for that bout.

[@LeviJohansen]

@MrTennesseeVols nope, after the third or fourth; being champion should give you the benefit of the doubt. The ref was doubting just a little bit to much right here though....

[@linkan82]

I am from Sweden :-) what more i need to say. :-)

[@AaJim1517]

2 & 3 knock-downs were punch's to back of head

[@mateuszmattias]

John Wayne ringside (wearing a hat).

[@julianlane3561]

I was watching him when floyd got knocked down, he turned round and spoke to his mate and completely missed it haha

[@david-ok9tg]

Should have been stopped after the second knockdown. Patterson's awareness was dimmed and he was in a semi conscious state.

[@Apzalar]

The ref should have stopped it after the 2nd. If a boxer is so gone that he turns his back to 1 of the hardest hitters in boxing history he is in no shape to keep boxing. Btw, there came a new rule around these fights somewhere that u need to go to your corner befoer ref starts counting or something, was that between first and 2nd fight?

[@deepcosmiclove]

The referee was Ruby Goldstein who never stopped a fight until the fighter was near death. He was the 3rd man when Emile Griffith killed Benney the Kid Paret at MSG in 1962.

[@kennethshade6897]

Rocky Marciano wasn't the greatest heavyweight champion, but he was one of the smartest. He looked around, saw Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston and Ingemarr Johansson, and headed for the door.

[@rupertberr]

Came here because of "My Life as a Dog"

[@AngryScotProductions]

i dont think ingo had a weak chin dude,the left hook that floyd landed on ingo in the second fight could have knocked out a horse.clearly youve never boxed

[@kinneyshoe]

The referee is terrible, but not because he didn't stop it, but because he let Johannson come out of the neutral corner and not making him stay there until he called for him.....Ali was terrible for this and got away with it...the most notorious example was when he fought Oscar Bonavena

[@Jdoggy2448]

Truth of the matter is? He kept getting back up! So it wasnt a real KO like what Patterson did to him in rematch! Patterson could of killed Ingemar with that brutal KO, that left his feet shaking! That is scarey!

[@TronleHD]

So your about 60 or something now?

[@ccali327]

This is why the ref needs to take a better inventory of the fighter's faculties and have the fighter walk to him. Floyd walked to the corner after the first knockdown. He was totally out of it. Should have been over right there.

[@TronleHD]

Haha What i ment with my comment was that he is really old and is commenting on youtube writing like "luv" and "soooo" :)

[@mimi_simon]

Reading a slow boat to China, had to google this

[@deepthreat]

They weren't exclusively Swedish in the least and they weren't all that tough, either. But most of them were smart enough to leave.

[@ReemusBoxing]

i have an analaysis on how ingemar won this fight, if you liked breakdowns of old fights, come watch

[@deepcosmiclove]

Goldstein was the referee when Emile Griffith killed Benny Paret.

[@agjohanson]

i'm guessing there was no TKO rule in 1959...

[@rickwoelfel4876]

There was no three-knockdown rule and referees in that era tended to allow fights to go much longer than they do now.

[@progressivehouse7384]

Судья должен был остановить бой в первый раз когда упал боксер, на лицо глубокий нокаут

[@wheelinthesky300]

The ref never looks into Floyd's eyes to see if he's lucid.

[@Section5_CdnIntelService]

Referee Goldstein should've stopped it after the third knockdown.

[@topmech71]

klmrxz Was this the same referee that let The Kid Paret get killed in the corner with something like 20 blows...don't think he worked another fight after that.

[@LeviJohansen]

@deepthreat that's not true at all, Glass Joe can take bodyshots...

[@johntate5722]

maybe I'm wrong here but INgo keeps hitting Floyd on the back of the head - thats a foul & Floyd should have been given more time & Ingo told off.

[@markwarnberg9504]

I remember the fight. Yes, the fight should have been stopped after Floyd got Sucker Punched, Floyd was deffinatley hearing bell´s after that punch and headed for his corner when Ingmar hit him from behind.

[@willis7319]

The ref must have been american and didnt want the title too leave the states

[@kjellwikstrom9992]

fy fan.

[@wheelinthesky300]

That was a dirty shot behind the head at 2:09. Though I don't think it was intentional on Ingo's part.

[@peterh1353]

Shots to the back the head are very dangerous. Why they are not allowed. The ref should have stopped the fight. Paterson was in no position to defend himself.

[@UsernameXOXO]

/wiki/List_of_Swedish_inventions

[@edithdodds190]

ingos bingo leslie

[@snuffyballparks6501]

Later, the same ref was party to a the murder of Benny Kid Paret. HORRIBLE officiating. Patterson's corner should all have been banned from boxing... along with the ref.

[@fishbreath1093]

He could have been killed..

[@Peteripattaya]

Jävla skitsport!

[@deepthreat]

I guess the ref got his way in the end because the title came back to "the states" when Patterson demolished him in the rematch. Typical euroweenie couldn't take body blows - almost like he was French. Check out this video to see him knocked out flat on his back with his flat-lining brain sending his toes twitching.

[@nudaveritas8195]

Ingemar hit Floyd in the back of the head, repeatedly, like a coward. Not a good sportsman.

[@kenclayton5088]

Terrible referee...

[@avoice77]

rocky marciano was a decent fighter but obviously not great, but I give him credit for being touch and relentless. anyone knows he would have been eating canvas if he fought any of the stronger heavyweights before they were washed up. you shouldn't hate on black fighters just because they were the very best. all the envy in the world cannot change that :-(_