Later Career and Retirement
Johansson then returned to Europe, and recaptured the European crown from Dick Richardson by an eight round KO on June 17, 1962. By this time Sonny Liston had captured the heavyweight crown from Patterson, and efforts were underway to match Johansson with Liston. Johansson, however, fought journeyman heavyweight Brian London on April 21, 1963, in a non-title twelve-round match. Johansson won most of the eleven preceding rounds but in round twelve with four seconds remaining in the fight London tagged Johansson with a powerful right hand that knocked him down flat on his back. Johansson arose at the count of four just as the bell rang to end the fight. It is widely believed that Johansson was out cold or on his back but the film of this fight clearly illustrates Ingo was upright but groggy at the sound of the bell. The next day’s Stockholm's newspaper's front page showed a photo of him dizzy climbing the ropes with the headline "Wake up Ingo – You won!" After seeing this he sat down and wrote a letter to the European Boxing Union resigning his title and retiring from boxing.
26 Wins (17 (T)KO's), 2 Losses| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | Record | |
| 1963-04-21 | Win | Brian London | Johanneshov Ice Stadium, | Stockholm, Sweden | PTS | 12 | 3:00 | 26-2 | |
| 1962-06-17 | Win | Dick Richardson | Nya ullevi | Gothenburg, Sweden | KO | 8 | 2:13 | 25-2 | |
| 1962-04-15 | Win | Wim Snoek | Kungliga Tennishallen | Stockholm, Sweden | KO | 5 | 1:15 | 24-2 | |
| 1962-02-09 | Win | Joe Bygraves | Mässhallen Sports Hall | Gothenburg, Sweden | TKO | 7 | 2:08 | 23-2 | |
| 1961-03-13 | Loss | Floyd Patterson | Convention Hall | Miami Beach, USA | KO | 6 | 2:45 | 22-2 | For World Heavyweight Title |
| 1960-06-20 | Loss | Floyd Patterson | Polo Grounds | New York, USA | KO | 5 | - | 22-1 | For World Heavyweight Title |
| 1959-06-26 | Win | Floyd Patterson | Yankee Stadium | New York, USA | TKO | 3 | - | 22-0 | For World Heavyweight Title |
Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes
Read more about this topic: Ingemar Johansson
Famous quotes containing the words career and/or retirement:
“Each of the professions means a prejudice. The necessity for a career forces every one to take sides. We live in the age of the overworked, and the under-educated; the age in which people are so industrious that they become absolutely stupid.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“Adultery itself in its principle is many times nothing but a curious inquisition after, and envy of another man’s enclosed pleasures: and there have been many who refused fairer objects that they might ravish an enclosed woman from her retirement and single possessor.”
—Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667)