In his short, happy life as heavyweight champ, Ingemar Johansson (see SPORT) found U.S. advertisers beating a path to his throne with blank checks and myriad products for him to endorse—everything from Pioneer key rings to Man-Tan and Lord West tuxedos. Only a few went away disappointed. Among them: a vacuum cleaner manufacturer who wanted the champ to lie down on a rug in the ad, and a group of prosperous salami makers who wanted Ingo to pose beside a pile of salami (Ingo agreed to do it, but not for hay: he asked $5,000).
Thus, many an advertiser took it...
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