Filed under Blogging by Ross Everett on July 15, 2010 at 3:32 am
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Kyle Boller filled in for an injured Mark Bulger, and the St. Louis Rams improved to 2-1 on the NFL preseason with a 24-21 victory over the host Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams led 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but a Bengals TD early in the frame made for some drama down the stretch. The Bengals couldn’t close the deal, however, and dropped to 1-2 on the NFL preseason.
Boller did withstand a hard hit from linebacker Keith Rivers that knocked his helmet off his head. Rather than leave the game, he calmly picked up his helmet and finished the drive. After the game, he talked about the play:
“I could have slid a little earlier. It is what it is. My chin strap hit just above my eyes. It was a good scramble, but maybe if I can get down a little sooner, the coaches would like that.”
Rivers also commented on the play:
“I was just trying to get to the ball. It wasn’t anything intentional.”
Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo gave Boller some props in his postgame media comments:
“He moved the team. He drove us down there after the bad start. When you score on a drive, the quarterback deserves the credit.”
Bengals second string QB J.T. O’Sullivan didnt have it quite so easy”he was sacked three times, lost a fumble and had two passes deflected by linemen. The lost fumble added to the Bengals NFL preseason turnover woes”theyve lost five fumbles and thrown three interceptions for eight turnovers in three games. He spoke of his performance and the need to minimize turnovers afterwards:
“We’ve just got to find a way to eliminate it. It puts you in such a disadvantage any time you turn the ball over. That’s one of the things that has to change immediately.”
Head coach Marvin Lewis concurred:
“When you turn the football over, you have a difficult time winning, whether you’re playing in the regular season, the preseason, junior high, sixth grade, whatever it is.
The Bengals conclude their NFL preseason slate next Thursday as they host the Indianapolis Colts. The Rams play at home on the same night, welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs to the Edward Jones Dome. St. Louis will get the NFL regular season underway on Sunday, September 13th as they travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Seahawks. The Bengals open the NFL regular season at home against the Denver Broncos.
Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and World Cup betting sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Filed under Blogging by Ross Everett on July 15, 2010 at 3:19 am
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It may only be preseason in the NFL, but the Atlanta Falcons are making a statement that they’ll be a factor in the NFC. The Falcons starters behind QB Matt Ryan were almost flawless, and left the reserves with a 14-0 lead before eventually beating the St. Louis Rams 20-13 at the Edward Jones Dome on Friday night. Both teams are now 1-1 in NFL preseason action.
Running back Michael Turner was unstoppable in his limited playing time, churning out 65 yards in the Falcons opening drive. After the game, he confirmed that the Falcons offense had placed a priority on sound execution:
“We wanted to come out and execute. They were preaching that all week and we wanted to show that on game day. We’re way better than we were last year at this time.”
Quarterback Matt Ryan was 7 of 8 for 81 yards and a touchdown pass before he called it a night. Tony Gonzalez caught Ryans TD pass and after the game was effusive in his praise for the young signal caller:
“He’s a great quarterback. It’s obvious he’s figuring things out. He has a great arm, talent, and knows how to play with poise.”
It was a disappointing home debut for new Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, who saw his team blown away from the opening whistle before a half empty stadium:
“Just like I said to the team, we’d have liked to have started out a little better. You’ve got to come out and take it to them.”
Rams safety O.J. Atogwe sounded a similar tone:
“This was a fabulous game for us. That’s the reason you play the preseason. Going against a team like Atlanta, a top-caliber team, it allows us to reassess what we’ve been doing.”
Falcons coach Mike Smith was most excited about the improved play of his rushing defense:
“We were much improved against the run. It’s something we have to continue to get better at. We still had some missteps.”
The Falcons will continue NFL preseason play next Friday night as they host the San Diego Chargers at the Georgia Dome. The Rams will play the Bengals at Cincinnati next Thursday night.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and World Cup betting sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Filed under Blogging by Ross Everett on July 1, 2010 at 5:27 am
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Its been a rough NFL preseason for last years Superbowl runner up. The Arizona Cardinals have only scored one touchdown in two games as they’ve stumbled to a 0-2 record. Things didn’t get any better on Saturday night, as the visiting San Diego Chargers added to their offensive woes en route to a 17-6 victory.
The Chargers cornerbacks performed admirably against Arizona, and Antonio Cromartie–who intercepted Kurt Warner in the endzone to perpetuate the Cardinals scoring futility”said that’s been a focus for the team during the preseason:
“That’s one of our biggest focuses. Do whatever you’ve got to to keep them out of the end zone. We did that.”
Despite the teams lack of productivity Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt wasn’t particularly concerned:
“I’m disappointed that we haven’t had more touchdowns, obviously but I will say this, we haven’t game planned in the red zone. A lot of times when we game plan in the red zone we’re one of the best teams in the NFL, because we put our players in a position to best give them a chance to win.’
QB Warner concurred:
“It is disappointing because we had some opportunities we didn’t capitalize on like we wanted to but there is going to be a lot of stuff we can learn from tonight. We will get better and be all right in a couple of weeks.”
The Chargers offense hasn’t lit up the scoreboard either, and their pass protection has been particularly weak. San Diego coach Norv Turner indicated that this was a problem:
“The things we take a lot of pride in around here. Tonight our guys saw we have some work to do.”
LaDanian Tomlinson saw limited action”his first in the preseason since 2005. LT said that it was beneficial:
“I think it was just good to get in there and start to get a rhythm.
Arizona will host Green Bay on Friday night, while San Diego will continue their NFL preseason slate in Atlanta as they play the Falcons at the Georgia Dome on Saturday night. The Cardinals will open the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13 as they host the San Francisco 49ers while the Chargers will start the 2009 campaign on Monday, September 14th as they travel to Oakland for a game against the Raiders.
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Filed under Blogging by Ross Everett on July 1, 2010 at 5:18 am
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In professional prizefighting, its common to see high level fighters go from viable to geriatric before your eyes. Boxers, in particular, have a difficult time outrunning the ravages of age. Fighters seldom grow old gracefully, at least in the competitive sense. The exceptions–Archie Moore, George Foreman, James Toney–are few and far between. More often than not a professional prizefighter goes from being a legitimate contender to the brink of retirement in a matter of minutes. It can happen that suddenly, and most recently Mexican superstar Oscar De La Hoya was the latest victim. He looked utterly lost as a relentless Manny Pacquiao used his speed and workrate to completely frustrate De La Hoya en route to a 8th round TKO victory at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
There was much concern prior to the fight about Pacquiaos ability to handle the naturally larger De La Hoyas strength and power. That concern was completely ill founded, and the reigning pound for pound king began to overwhelm De La Hoya from the opening round. Pacquiaos seemingly nonstop flurries of strikes began to show their effect on De La Hoyas face as his elusiveness made it impossible for his opponent to retaliate with any offense of his own.
As the fight progressed, it became nothing less than a one sided beating. His only effective flurry came in the 5th round, when he scored with a few solid body punches. It did little more than prolong the inevitable finish. Between the 7th and 8th round, trainer Nacho Berenstein told his fighter that he wasn’t going to let him stay out there and take a beating if he wasnt throwing punches. After the 8th round, Berenstein stopped the fight and Oscar smartly didn’t object to what was clearly the right decision.
The judges scorecards at the time of the stoppage vividly reflect the one-sidedness of the contest: two of the three judges scored the fight 80-71, with Pacquaio winning all eight rounds (with a 10-8 margin in the 7th). One judge charitably gave De La Hoya the fifth round, which was certainly a stretch resulting in a 79-72 margin. De La Hoya displayed the class of a champion following the fight, as he deflected Larry Merchants pointed questions about his relatively low weight to keep the focus on Pacquiaos masterful performance. He stopped short of retiring in the ring, but certainly sounded as if he were leaning in that direction as he observed:
“At this stage when you face someone like Pacquiao, it’s going to be a hard fight. I worked hard and trained really hard to get ready for this fight, but it’s a lot different story when you’re training than when you are actually in the ring. I just felt flat, like I didn’t have it. My heart still wants to fight, but when you physically don’t respond, you have to be smart.”
De La Hoyas post fight behavior should be required viewing for all aspiring prizefighters to learn how a champion carries himself with class, dignity and respect for the sport even in defeat. De La Hoya is an international superstar with a nine figure ATM balance; if he can be humble and gracious in this setting other fighters have no excuse for not being able to emulate his gentlemanly manners.
The most poignant moment came as De La Hoya prepared to leave the ring to allow Pacquiao to enjoy his glory. As De La Hoya gave him a final congratulatory hug, Pacquiao assured him that “You’re still my hero”.
To which the incredibly classy De La Hoya responded: “No, now you’re my hero.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Filed under Blogging by Ross Everett on June 20, 2010 at 3:34 am
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The ‘new look’ Washington Redskins offense under Sherm Lewis looked much like the old offense under Jim Zorn, and the Philadelphia Eagles had little trouble as they opened a 27-10 halftime lead en route to a 27-17 victory on Monday Night Football. DeSean Jackson scored a long touchdown both rushing and receiving, and Donovan McNabb threw for 156 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in the victory.
The Eagles also rewarded NFL betting enthusiasts with the pointspread cover as -8′ road favorites. Philadelphia is now 4-2 against the number while the Redskins continued their struggles against the NFL pointspread dropping to 1-6. The 44 combined points went OVER the posted total of 38.
Jackson’s only complaint after the game was that a sore ankle undermined the artistry of his post touchdown tap dance:
“I was out there having fun, man, honestly. My ankle was kind of hurting. I really didn’t feel it, but it did kind of affect my dance a little bit. I could put it to perfection a little bit better than that.”
Redskins’ defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth suggested that this team has to learn to play as a unit:
“You can say but so much. You’ve got to actually want to. So once we get to that point — where we want to do something — then we’ll do something. But if we just keep going our separate ways, then we’ll just keep getting slaughtered like we have.”
Jim Zorn was apparently more interested in playing ‘gotcha’ with the management that replaced him as the Redskins’ offensive play caller than in analyzing the game:
“Well, the result was the same. We got 17 points. It was difficult for me. It was difficult to stand and watch. The hard part is to keep your mouth shut.”
Washington running back Rock Cartwright expressed Washington’s struggles in a philosophical light:
“You have to take the bitter with the sweet. And right now we’re at a bitter moment.”
The Eagles will host the New York Giants this Sunday, with the game currently ‘pick’em’ and the total posted at 44. The Redskins have a much needed bye week before they travel south to play the Atlanta Falcons on November 8. They’ll host the Denver Broncos the following Sunday before playing on the road against the Dallas Cowboys on November 22.
Ross Everett is a well known freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Filed under Blogging by Ross Everett on June 20, 2010 at 3:28 am
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In one of the stranger front office shakeups in recent NBA history, the Los Angeles Clippers have ‘relieved’ Mike Dunleavy of his head coaching duties effective immediately. He’ll remain on board as the Clippers’ general manager, and both he and the team cited the demands of the forthcoming trade deadline and free agent market as a catalyst for the change. Dunleavy leaves as the most successful head coach in the team’s less than distinguished history.
Not surprisingly, there is much speculation as to the back story behind the move. Some with knowledge of the situation suggest that Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling wanted to fire Dunleavy altogether, but relented due to the $5 million the team will owe him in the final year of his contract next year. More recently, a bizarre rumor has been circulating that Sterling has approached Isiah Thomas about taking over Dunleavy’s coaching position and becoming team president. These rumors have had enough traction that Thomas issued a denial this weekend, stressing that his focus is still on his current assignment as Florida International University head coach.
Dunleavy issued this statement, playing along with the team’s insistence that the decision to give up coaching was ‘mutual’:
“I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the ideal time for me to direct my efforts toward the many personnel opportunities that lie before us, such as the trade market, the draft and the free-agent process. We fully expect to be active and productive on all those fronts.”
Team President Andy Roeser gave this statement:
“We fully agree with Mike that this is the right time to make this change. It just seems clear that the team needs a fresh voice and we hope that our players will respond in a positive way.As we approach the trade deadline, the NBA draft and the upcoming free-agent period, our team is very well positioned from a salary-cap standpoint. Mike’s experienced input will be vitally important as we continue to develop our young talented nucleus and shape our team’s future.”
Dunleavy’s agent Warren LeGarie didn’t deviate from the script:
“This is something we’ve been contemplating for some time. There’s a shelf life to coaching sometimes. So you constantly have to keep measuring whether [the team's inconsistency] is because of injuries, because of you, or something else. And at some point you have to make a judgment call about what’s best for the team, and that’s what Mike did.”
The Clippers have lost 7 of their last 10 games to fall to 21-29 on the year. They’re 17 games behind the Western Conference leading Los Angeles Lakers and 8 games out of the final playoff spot. The schedule won’t get any easier for the Clippers over the next week, as they host the red hot Utah Jazz on Tuesday and head into the All Star Break with a game on the road against the Golden State Warriors.
Ross Everett is a well known cheerleading coach and a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports. He provides Internet and broadcast media outlets with daily free sports picks when not working with Olympic bound ice skaters. He is a widely published writer specializing in sports handicapping, antique collecting, horse racing and wombat breeding. He lives in Las Vegas with his houseboy, three dogs and a wombat.
Filed under Blogging by Ross Everett on June 14, 2010 at 3:26 am
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Duke University is far from being a national college football powerhouse, but they’re no longer a team you can take lightly either. #6 ranked Virginia Tech found that out on Saturday, and what they expected to be an easy afternoon became a tightly contested affair. In the end, Virginia Tech prevailed for a 34-26 road victory but not without some anxious moments. Virginia Tech improved their record to 4-1, while Duke dropped to 2-3 on the 2009 college football season.
Despite the straight up loss, Duke won where it counted as they rewarded sports players who bet on college football with the ATS victory as +17 home underdogs. Duke evened their mark at 2-2 in their lined games, while the Hokies dropped to 2-3 against the spread. The 60 combined points scored went well OVER the posted total of 48. Virginia Tech has gone OVER in 3 of 5 games this year, while Duke has gone OVER in all three of their games with posted totals.
The Hokies were saved by the career day posted by their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor. Taylor threw for 327 yards on 17 of 22 passing and two touchdown passes. After the game, Taylor modestly downplayed his own impact on the outcome of the game:
“I know we have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball. It’s just my job to get the ball to them.”
Venerable Tech coach Frank Beamer saw his team defeat Duke for the ninth straight time, but noted:
“I don’t think that’s the old Duke football team.
Blue Devils coach David Cuttcliffe said his team is reaching the point where moral victories dont mean much any more:
“We got close enough in the fourth quarter to go beat a great team. Once you taste that, you like it. I wouldn’t say we spit it out — it wasn’t a choke — but we just didn’t finish.”
Despite getting the win, Hokies coach Beamer was critical of the performance:
“Too many penalties and too many long plays. We weren’t as sharp as we would like, but I don’t think it was lack of effort. Part of it was Duke, and part of it was us. … Sometimes I think you’ve just got to win some games that’s not real pretty on the road, and this is probably one of those.”
Still, he praised his team for doing what they needed to do to preserve the victory:
“When we needed to run the football, and we did, and got points, that was critical to this ball game. They were going to take the run away, so you’ve got to be able to throw the ball.”
Virginia Tech will host Boston College next Saturday before traveling to Atlanta the following weekend for a game against Georgia Tech. Duke will play at North Carolina State next Saturday before a bye week. Theyll return to action at home on October 24th against the University of Maryland and play on the road at Virginia the following week.
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Filed under Blogging by Ross Everett on June 14, 2010 at 3:21 am
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Mitsuharu Misawa died in Hiroshima, Japan earlier this year less than a week before his 47th birthday. He was in a tag team match for his Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion with Go Shiozaki against Bison Smith and Akitoshi Saito. Saito hit a back suplex on Misawa, which appeared to knock him unconscious. Medical staff attempted to revive him in the ring, but when CPR failed he was taken to a hospital by ambulance. Initial reports in the Japanese media suggest that he was pronounced dead at the hospital, but a number of eyewitness accounts have speculated that he may have died in the ring.
There’s at least a small bit of solace in the fact that he died in the ring doing what he loved, and what he did better than just about anyone on the planet. Misawa’s last moments were spent working the kind of brutally stiff, athletically realistic match that got a generation hooked on Japanese wrestling.
A top level amateur wrestler in high school, his skill gained the attention of All Japan Pro Wrestling president Shohei Giant Baba. Three years after his pro debut, he got his first big break in’84 when he was chosen as the second Tiger Mask replacing Satoru Sayama. In’90, he had his longtime friend and rival Toshiaki Kawada unmask him.
Misawa would wrestle as himself from then on, and become an even bigger star in the process. In June,’90 he became one of the top stars in All Japan Pro Wrestling when he defeated Jumbo Tsuruta. That match was his first main event appearance at the venue Cheap Trick made famous in America, the Nippon Budokan. He soon faced Triple Crown Champion Stan Hansen in an unsuccessful challenge for the title, and would become arguably the biggest native star in Japanese pro wrestling for the next decade.
He had legendary battles against Kawada, Hansen, Kenta Kobashi, and Steve Dr. Death Williams in singles competition. Misawa would continue as a mainstay in AJPW until the early part of this decade. After the death of Giant Baba, he left to establish Pro Wrestling NOAH. He would serve as the companys president while wrestling a full time schedule until his untimely death.
Japanese pro wrestling served as an introduction for many American fans into shoot fight sports and MMA. Before the Internet, fans would trade videotapes to stay up on the latest matches from Japan and along with Jushin Thunder Liger and The Great Muta Keiji Mutoh it safe to say that Misawa is one of the wrestlers most responsible for getting a generation of American fans hooked on the product. Were it not for the subculture he created in America, later wrestling promotions like Ring of Honor and MMA promotions like the UFC wouldn’t have had a ready made audience to tap into.
Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Filed under Blogging by Ross Everett on June 12, 2010 at 3:12 am
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Roller Derby was a staple of the early television era and was similar in its promotional format to its better known “sports entertainment” cousin, professional wrestling. It was frequently seen in the same bad timeslots on the same low powered UHF TV stations, and it was run by the same loose confederation of Runyanesque promoters and businessmen that characterized the regional territory era of pro wrestling. Unfortunately, roller derby didn’t catch on the way professional wrestling did. There was obviously a serious athletic component to it, but the “angles” and storylines surrounding roller derby made pro wrestling seem like Ibsen by comparison. The sport does have its own history–most know that the LA T-Birds were the perennial champions of’70’s, and Ann Calvello and Ralphie Valladares had been in the sport forever and were considered legends–but it never really stuck in the public consciousness like the pre-Hulk Hogan era of pro wrestling.
New era roller derby reached a national audience through the A&E reality series Roller Girls. It featured a local, all-girl roller derby league in Austin, Texas and followed the lives of the players on and off the track. While the show was oddly engaging, it was the first clue that many had that such a league existed in the first place. A sport that was never taken seriously to begin with and that was really living on borrowed time since the’60’s before fading into the lowest level of obscurity had been rediscovered and embraced by an eclectic group of young women. They had kept the same essential format, thrown in a healthy dose of burlesque camp and Varga pin-up inspired glamour and made it into their own vibrant subculture. They changed some of the nomenclature and competitive format–in lieu of regularly scheduled games they renamed the competitions “bouts” a la MMA or boxing. The result was a compelling mixture of glamour, toughness and athleticism driven by a healthy dose of punk rock “do it yourself” mentality.
Today, roller derby is a full blown worldwide phenomenon. There are hundreds of local roller derby leagues not only in the United States, but Canada, Australia and Europe. Most of the local groups similarly play up the campy retro pin-up/hot rod iconography and everyone involved sure looks like they’re having a good time. Between teams there’s a vibe of good natured competitiveness and camaraderie.
This organic rebirth and growth of roller derby is a result of young women taking what essentially was TV time filler and made it into their own distaff ‘action sport’. The community that has sprung up around it bears a striking resemblance to the skateboarding or snowboarding subculture. Granted, there are plenty of talented female skateboarders and snowboarders but they’re typically male dominated disciplines. The roller derby circa 2009 is just the opposite–a living, breathing matriarchal success story. No one is in it for the money, as these local groups are typically run as non-profit organization. The women involved have recreated this sport, and run it, promote it and compete in it on their own terms.
The new generation rollergirls also pay homage to their sports’ pioneers. Many of the individual group websites have sections devoted to the history of roller derby, and the late Ann Calvello–regarded as the Queen of the original Roller Derby–is revered as something of a patron saint. The Texas Rollergirl group featured in the A&E series has renamed their championship the Calvello Cup.
Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Filed under Blogging by Ross Everett on June 5, 2010 at 3:14 am
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Former heavyweight champ Ingemar Johannson died in a Swedish nursing home in January 2009 at the age of 76. He’d lived in the nursing home in his hometown of Kungsbacka since the mid’90’s when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia. No official cause of death was given, but Johannson had suffered a serious bout with pneumonia just prior to his death.
Johannson rocketed to international fame and rock star like superstardom in Sweden by virtue of his 3rd round knockout victory over Floyd Patterson on June 26,’59 to become only the 5th heavyweight champion born outside of the US. Johannson was considered the underdog going into the matchup, and due to the perception that he wasn’t training particularly hard entered the bout a 5/1 underdog. Johansson was frequently seen in Catskill nightspots during his training camp with his attractive young secretary in stark contrast to Patterson’s disciplined regimen in preparation for his title defense.
His performance against the champ that night in Yankee Stadium shocked the boxing world”after a tentative first two rounds, Johannson floored Patterson with a short right early in the third. The champ never recovered and with no three knockdown rule in effect was knocked down a total of seven times before referee Ruby Goldstein called a halt to the proceedings and awarded the Swede the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.
Johannson would hold the title for just under a year before he lost it back to Patterson in a rematch at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Patterson was the aggressor from the opening bell, and would eventually regain his title as he knocked Johannson out cold in the fifth round with a looping left hook. Displaying the class for which he became famous, Patterson was less concerned about celebrating his victory as he was for the well being of his opponent.
The two men would fight again later in the year, with an exciting slugfest transpiring before the superior conditioning of Patterson took over. Patterson would put his opponent away for good in the 6th round. After that, Johannson fought only four more times against nameless opponents in his native country before retiring in’63.
Not surprising given the mutual respect shown during their heavyweight championship trilogy, Patterson and Johannson remained close lifelong friends and would travel to visit each other every year until the American champion died in 2006. While it is commonplace today for former in-ring adversaries to become close personal friends, it was something of an anomaly in the’60s. Johannson made a number of film appearances in Sweden, and spent time in South Florida every year. He remained in good health well into his sixties, running in marathons yearly until his physical ailments took their toll.
Ingemar Johansson is considered one of Sweden’s greatest sports heroes, and was a crucial element in fueling the popularity of boxing in Europe and Scandinavia. He was married and divorced twice, and is survived by five children.
Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer specializing in travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
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