Evening star., 1960-06-23
WIN, LOSE OR
DNAW By FRANCIS sTANN
One Final Word

SEATED ON A RUBBING table an hour after his
knockout 1ngemar JohansSon saying he didn't know
he'd exercise his option to fight Floyd Patterson third
time. Now know he's still punchy" reporter remarked
II there's anything that Swede loves it's money"
The following day. with his head clear, lingo was all
for rubber match He had learned in the interim that
ne was approximately 81 million richer and with
the tax bite that's pretty good pay for minutes ST
seconds OF fighting Or shall say of catching punches
When and where the recrowned Patterson and the
dethroned Johansson will fight remains to be Despite
Floyds btz of the dimpled Viking the third battle prob
ably will draw big After ALL Pattersons victory no
more lopsided than Ingo's own last June.
Johansson put his man away in the third round
Patterson won in the fifth Balancing it out perhaps
the fact that Floyd still getting up from the floor
when Referee Ruby Godsten stopped it, Over lingo the
new referee Art Mercante could have counted 500
IF JoHANssoN is serious about meeting Patterson
again behooves him to learn fight Unless he is very
lucky that single shot with the right hand going
win for lingo. He's got to have to go with it. And
neither Johansson anybody is going to learn his
trade while driving racing doing the chacha making
movies and playing golf.
1t is true that Patterson, like lingo, took years
sabbatca from actual combat after their first fight But
Floyd virtually turned hermit AS if doing penance for
his sins of omission last June he buried himself in New
town. Conn., and devoted nine months toward preparing
himself for vengeance
Dan Florio, his trainer telling about it the day
after the Rockville Centre N y tiger regained the title
Both times he knocked the Swede down." Forio pointed
out Floyd threw short right then left jab Johans
sons guard came down after the jab. lingo probably
thought Patterson would 60 to his right again.
But he didn't OFF the jab came that good left hook
and it wasn't accidental Patterson worked that
for weeks, months even. I've handled lot of fighters
in my time but I've never work hard Floyd
PATTERSON WAS WIDELY criticized for not taking
couple of fights while awaiting his return match but
apparently his gruelng, se-mposed training grind
suced Certainly it sounder program than that of
lingo, who neither fought trained in aout effort
The recroWned champion criticized than
Johanson however because most observers felt that lingo
was an improving fighter whereas Patterson seemed to be
going back from his form 1856 when he fatened Archie
Moore for the title AS it turned out they dead
If it not established that lingo punch with
his right hand if nothing else third meeting would sound
ridiculous 1t be- anyway, but the chances the
public will buy the show again, what with knockout
by the other virtually certain. Gene Tunney who
atime payday high of $99O45 the fight
with Jack Dempsey, owed it to the Manassa Mauer's
punching reputation
OFF THE FIRST Dempsey -Tunney fight in Phla-
dephia there was little reason for return aside from
the Maulers capacity for swift destruction Without that
reputation there might have not been second fight SO
completely did Tunney dominate Dempsey in Philadelphia
Even Dempseys handlers and Promoter Tex Rickard
felt that the dethroned champion should win big
before meeting Tunney again. Jack sharkey, young
clever and not bad punchr picked to test the aging
Jack. And by Dempseys admission Sharkey was on
his way to possible knockout until the Mauer cobbereo
him the belt line
When Sharkey turned to the referee to complain of
low blow Dempsey gave all to the unprotected jaw anc
thus the return with Tunney crystazed And If yoJ
recall Dempsey almost pulled off what Patterson finally
accomplished 3S years later His failure to to heutra
after decking the ex-Marine probably cost hin
the fight.
This, of course, is different The fighters arr
and perhaps the suckers less discriminating
Chances ohanSson won't be asked to fight again before
the next time around any than Patterson asked
And certainly neither will take opponent the cabe
of Sharkey.