Johnny Romsaas vs. Abder Ben Lachemi

Johnny Romsaas 165 lbs lost to Abder Ben Lachemi 164 lbs by KO in round 6 of 8

• Date: 1966-03-25
• Location: Nordstrandhallen, Oslo, Norway

Norwegian middleweight Johnny Romsaas (74,8 kg) received his first loss in a 10 fight career when he was halted by the strong Moroccan Abder Ben Lachemi ( 74,5 kg )in round 6. Lachemi, of African origin, gave the Norwegian a solid beating from half distance in the first round. A right cross made Romsaas reel around in the ring at the end of round 2. The bell saved him. One had the feeling that the elegant Paris- based boxer was holding back in round 3 and 4 just to save Romsaas from further punishment. Norwegian referee Kjell Svensson even warned Lachemi for passivity in the 5th when Romsaas tried in vain to get through with combinations. Lachemi immediately picked up his tempo and hard punching, flooring Romsaas with a hook. In the 6th round, Romsaas was cornered and a flurry of punches made him collapse on the floor as the towel came flying in from promotor and cornerman Leif Hansen. The crowd was almost silent, in shock over their fallen hope, but also in admiration for Lachemi. As wrote Aftenposten: " A dazzling French boxer had shown his total mastery. "