Thursday, May 1, 2014

A Tale of Two Prizefighters-The Playboy and the Monk



In 1959, at Yankee Stadium
There took place a heavyweight championship bout
Between Swedish challenger Ingemar Johansson
And champion Floyd Patterson, who was expected to win in a rout

Patterson had trained very vigorously
And didn't indulge in any distractions
Johansson's training regime was quite different
And caused negative comments for some of his  actions

Johansson was often seen
At various nightclubs, making merry
With an attractive woman
Who he asserted was his secretary

In the third round of the contest
After Patterson suffered his seventh knockdown
The referee stopped the fight
And Johansson got to wear the heavyweight crown

After the fight, Patterson felt humiliated
And donned a disguise, reflecting his great mental strife
Johansson had a great celebration
With his supposed secretary, later his wife

The saga did not end with their first bout
Johansson was defeated in two later fights
Johansson retired a few years later
Concluding that regaining the title was not really in sight

Johansson became an avid marathon runner
And knowing his bent for a good time
He was probably sorely tempted by the Marathon du Medoc
Where during the race at least 20 chateaus serve excellent wine

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