Former heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson died Friday night. He was 76 years old. According to the Swedish newspaper, The Local, Johansson died at home in Kungsbacka in western Sweden. He had been suffering from dementia in recent years. Johansson won the heavyweight title in 1959 with a third-round knockout of Floyd Patterson at Yankee Stadium. He knocked Patterson down seven times before the fight was stopped 2:03 into the third round. For his efforts, Johansson was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year in 1959. Patterson subsequently recaptured the crown the following year at the Polo Grounds and also won the third fight in Miami in the spring of 1961.
