Ingemar Johansson
Johansson beat Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight boxing championship in 1959. He died on January 30th.
His death reminded me of an occasion in London about a decade ago. I was visiting a friend at a satellite television company he worked for that beamed programming to the Scandinavian countries. Johansson was doing some commentary for their sports programming.
My friend came out and said, “No one here knows who he is. He’s a nice old man. When he comes out, can you make a big deal over him?”
When he left the studio, I stood up and said, “Champ, I just want you to know that I always admired you as a great ambassador for your sport. It’s a thrill to meet you.”
He actually teared up a bit, gave me a big hug, and thanked me. I know it made him feel good, but it made me feel great.
This post was submitted by Gerry.
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