Well we are back for the 18th installment of Fight of the week, where we review, rescore and remember some historic fights of the past. This week the FOTW time machine takes us back to a doubleheader 62 & 61 years ago this week. The first fight was June 26 1959 at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York & the 2nd fight June 20 1960 at the Polo Grounds, New York, New York. i am sure there are others but Bowe & Holyfield are the only (November 4, 6 & 13) other fights that I could find that could qualify for a double/triple header. Anyway strap yourself in as we witness history, with each guy winning once and Patterson becoming the first HW champion to regain the title. 8 other former champs tried and failed, but Patterson succeeded where the others did not. enjoy! This content is protected And the rematch This content is protected
Well now that I am mostly unpacked from moving, I am going to review the last 2 fights and post some consensus cards. Thanks to all for keeping this series going the past 3-4 weeks! I am ready to watch some boxing this week.
It was a great trilogy. It's remarkable that Patterson came back at all from that beating in the 1st fight, and it's remarkable that Johansson came back after the KO he suffered in the 2nd fight to make the 3rd one a see-saw battle.
In the first fight, I had Johansson winning the first two rounds prior to the 7 knockdown third round. IJ 20, FP 18 after two rounds. In the second fight, I had FP ahead going into the fifth round, 39-38. I had FP winning 1,3, 4 EVEN, and IJ winning round 2. They fought 6 full rounds and 2 partial rounds and I don't remember IJ throwing a body punch. He did keep his jab out and he threw a right hand that was "different." Most fighters are taught to throw a 1-2 by throwing the right hand as soon as the jab hits, Johansson jabbed but didn't throw the right hand immediately. He threw it a split second later. Patterson did go to the body some. Patterson showed a lot of courage by coming back in the second fight and not being tentative after what happened to him in the first fight. With modern rules he might have recovered in the first fight. Refs today give fighters an 8 count, then they talk to them before sending them back. FP didn't know where he was after the first knockdown and looked like he was walking away when IJ knocked him down the second time. If FP had been given time after the first knockdown he might have been able to make it out of the round. IJ missed a lot afterward and he never went to Patterson's body where he could have probably ended the fight quickly.
Y'know, it's funny. This is the first time I watched these bouts in their entirety. Their first, second and third bouts I've only seen highlights over the years. I just never bothered me arse in seeing them from beginning to end. Chris Schenkel noted in their first fight that the scribes mentioned that Ingo did not use the right in sparring. I recall reading that too. When asked Ingo said something to the effect of, 'Why? What good are sparring partners if they're on the floor.' A statement which must have given his right hand even more menace leading up to the fight. The big difference from their 1st fight to their 2nd was how Patterson went after Ingo immediately in their second fight. In their first he really just held back. And if you're doing that, you're giving the other guy time to draw a nice target, which Ingo did. But a different time around in their second bout. I gave Ingo the 2nd round and rounds 1, 3 & 4 to Floyd. Great watching them in action again.
If Floyd somehow gets back to his corner at the end of the third, how do we score that? Is it 10-5? 10-4? Flat-out 10-0 (it should be)?
According to the rules in New York at that time, Johansson would win the round and get 4 points in the supplementary point score. Not More. If you want to score in on the later 10-point must system it would something like an embarracing 10-2
I have always believed that Floyd Patterson had underestimated Ingemar Johansson. Floyd had figured that Ingo feasted on inferior European fighters, and that the victory over Eddie Machen was a pure fluke, Eddie even went to court to block the Patterson vs Johansson title bout scheduled on June 25 1959. When Floyd tasted the Ingo Bingo in their first fight, he found out it was no joke. In the second fight on June 20 1960, Ingo appeared to be going by the old premise that they never come back, not training as hard as in their first title bout. Patterson was as determined as ever, that left hook that he nailed Ingo with was a lethal blow, sending Ingo to the canvas with his leg twitching as referee Arthur Mercante completed the full count. Mercante would later remark that he thought Ingo was dead.
