Evening star., 1961-03-15
WIN, LOSE OR
DRAW ;, FRANCE, ,7.uu
The Original Amateur Hour

MIAMI BEACH, Mar. 15.-The game started before
the fighters left the ring It is played in this way
in the next seat points to Rocky Marcano and says
He could have licked em both in his street clothes"
The next participant mods in approval and makes his
play Joe Louis would have stopped both Of em with his
left iab aone This gesture wins accord and the game
continues The players mention Dempsey and Shudder for
Floyd Patterson and Ingemar JohanSson in such myth
cal match.
Eventually they out of former heavyweight
champions including Primo Camera, and dip freely into
the never-waS ranks Tony Galentos is mentioned
in fact It is ruthless devastating attack the thin
ebility Of both Patterson and JohanSSon.
The SwcS= 4-to-1 underdog and yet he had
in his pocket twice-once in the first round
and again in the sixth and final AS for Patterson all
that stature he gained when he reganed his title from
1ngo last June lost. He exposed inept
fighter for champion amateur at heart, amateur
with an established weakness toward any punch at the
head.
It the original amateur hour and people left
Convention Hall wondering anew what happened to all
the truck drivers
1T WAS CLEAR that Patterson got a tremendous
break when the Miami Beach Commission enforced its
mandatory eight-coupt after knockdown. 1t could
have been waived had both sides agreed, but neither
JOhansson nor Patterson took the initiative
Had this rule been in effect for their first fight in
June 1885, it would have favored Floyd when he went
down seven times in the third round With an eight
second rest after each trip to the deck plus couple Of
seconds to clean the gloves Patterson couldn't have
down many times He would have weathered the round
The other night Floyd had the eight-second count
going for him when he dropped twice in the opening
round Each time he got up too quickly groggy and rub
berry, but Johansson had to stand in neutral and
wait for Referee Billy Regan to count to eight and then
wipe the gloves
8 The mandatory count never before employed in
World heavyweight title fight no factor In Ingos own
frstround knockdown He too, his feet early but
he didn't appear dazed Patterson had been lingo
simply very easy 2oe1a-pound athlete to tip over
q PATTERSON NOW MASTER of his oun fate made an
incredibly stupid fight The fast pace set by the fun
loving Viking surprised him. HE fooled again." Floyd
later admitted Patterson paid little or no attention to
his corner not to Gus DAmato his manager who Is
barred elsewhere He works out his own strategy these
days. but Monday night apparent he needs advice
Floyd who outlook the Swede, didn't. He can hit
at least hard over longer stretch and with an inf
ntey greater variety OF punches but he didn't outpunch
lingo by any appreciable margin He seemed to have
plan at all this time. No plan in lingo did suchand
such, pan anything He played by and that's
What he landed twice in the first round and, against
any kind of nisher at ALL would have landed for keeps
IN the sixth. -.
Floyds best punches of the reflex variety, not
premeditated. 1t reflex which dropped JohansSon
II the first round after his two deckings and 1t
reflex hook and choppng right which ended the fight
He couldn't have been in suitable position to plan the
finishing touches because Floyd dazed and ready to
be taken out.
E For one round-and one round only-Johansson
red power in his publcized right After the opener the
"toonder" gone. One wonders what he was doing
all that time in Palm Beach when he was preparing
himself.
INGO ALWAYS CLAIMS he trains for 15-round
fight Never in his life has he fought that long and only
has he gone than 10 rounds. In this country
Johansson travelled, had to travel more than
six In the shape lingo and Floyd were in the other night
they probably would have called off by mutual agree
ent at the end of 10 they could have lasted that long
Something seemed to go out Of JohansSon after he
was noored the end of the first round He suddenly
became cautious not because he hurt but possibly
because the knockdown revived memories Of that cobbe
ing he received last Time and again he let Patterson
of the hook If they fight year for the next decade
the chances that lingo will catch Patterson
wide open, so clumsy and so amateurish
Destiny brought this pair together In another era
neither would have been champion, neither would have
been fighting three times for the biggest prize in boxing
They had no Jack Sharkeys no Jim Braddocks other
competent heavyweights to beat in order to qualify
Neither fight very much but both have become
very rich They were made for each other