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There was as much activity in the law courts as there was in the prize ring in the sport of boxing during 1959. The greatest single competitive occurrence was the lifting of the heavyweight championship of the world from Floyd Patterson by Ingemar Johansson of Goteborg, Sweden. This feat was followed by extensive legal repercussions.
The heavyweight division was not alone in the matter of legal proceedings. Judicial actions also dealt with figures in the world middleweight-championship setup, in the world welterweight-title picture, and with the very existence of the International Boxing Club, which for years had been the most important organization engaged in the business of promoting ring contests.
Heavyweight Championship.
The Johansson-Patterson fight took place at Yankee Stadium in New York City on the night of June 26. The 24-year-old Patterson, an American Negro born in North Carolina but now living in New York, was the choice at odds of 3-to-1 to retain the title that he had won in 1956. But Johansson, a 26-year-old fighter with a record of 21 victories in 21 professional contests, engineered a smashing upset by beating Patterson in three rounds. He had Patterson on the floor seven times in the third round before referee Ruby Goldstein stopped the fight in 2:03 of the session.
The fight was the second of the year for Patterson. On May 1, in Indianapolis, Patterson risked his crown against the Englishman, Brian London, and won by a knockout in eleven rounds. Johansson's last previous ring appearance had taken place in September 1958 in his home town, where he knocked out the American, Eddie Machen, in one round. It was this accomplishment that earned for Johansson the opportunity to fight Patterson.
The bout between Patterson and Johansson was promoted by Bill Rosensohn, a comparative newcomer to boxing. He had been chosen to run the fight by Patterson's manager Constantine (Cus) D'Amato, a man with some unusual ideas concerning boxing. Several weeks after Johansson won the title, the office of the New York County District Attorney undertook an investigation of alleged irregularities in the pro-motion and uncovered several violations of the laws governing boxing in New York state.
A good many of these violations involved D'Amato. He was accused of dominating the promotion by forcing confederates into partnership with Rosensohn. He also was accused of seeking to move in on the management of Johansson through a contract arrangement made by a hand-picked associate. D'Amato's actions were deemed illegal by the New York State Athletic Commission, because they were under cover moves. As a consequence he had his license as a manager revoked by the New York board. Rosensohn had his promoter's license suspended for three years for his dealings with persons not acceptable to the Commission. In all its investigations, the District Attorney's office admitted that there was no evidence of a "fix" or "fake" in the fight itself.All agreed that it was decided on its merits alone.
Johansson, who made several trips from Sweden to the United States after acquiring the title, stated often that he was willing to give Patterson a return match if the proper promoter could be found. As an alternative, Johansson threatened to fight in London against the Englishman, Henry Cooper, in May 196o.
Middleweight Championship.
The middleweight class had its problems in "court," with Sugar Ray Robinson of New York as the main figure. Court, in this instance, actually was the New York Commission's hearing rooms. That Commission had been petitioned by Carmen Basilio of Chittenango, N.Y., for aid in getting Robinson to give him a return bout. On Mar. 25, 1958, Robinson had won the world middleweight championship from Basilio.
Robinson convinced the New York Commission that he was the injured party because Basilio had refused to accept terms for a return contest. The National Boxing Association, made up of groups representing many states and several countries, held that Robinson was remiss in not fighting Basilio, and divested Sugar Ray of his crown. The N.B.A. gave its sanction to a bout between Basilio and Gene Fullmer of West Jordan. Utah, to decide the middleweight championship. Fullmer knocked out Basilio in fourteen rounds in Los Angeles on August 18, and gained the recognition of most governing bodies as the 16o-lb. king. Only one state, Massachusetts, went along with New York in continuing to recognize Robinson as champion. In appreciation, Robinson made his first ring start since fighting Basilio by taking part in a fight in Boston on December 14. His opponent was Bob Young of Providence, whom he knocked out in two rounds in a "non-title" fight, that is, a contest in which each boxer was over the maximum poundage of the class. Fullmer, for his part, engaged in a title fight on December 4, outpointing Everett (Snider) Webb at Ogden. Utah.
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