Kevin Johnson (boxer)
| Kevin Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | Kingpin |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Reach | 82 in (208 cm) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
September 7, 1979 Asbury Park, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 37 |
| Wins | 29 |
| Wins by KO | 14 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 1 |
Kevin Johnson (born September 7, 1979) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2003 to 2015, and challenged once for the WBC heavyweight title in 2009.
Amateur career
Johnson started boxing at the age of 18. He was an unheralded amateur with only a 14-2 record but won the New Jersey Golden Gloves, a minor title.
Professional career
He turned pro in 2002. After only three fights the lanky counterpuncher was thrown in with an undefeated Olympian in Timor Ibragimov who had already 13 victories. To the great surprise of the audience he held Ibragimov to a draw. Three fights later in 2004 he handily beat well-known clubfighter Robert Wiggins who was 19-3-1 at the time. After being somewhat inactive in 2005 he had another good win over a clubfighter in Robert Hawkins 2006 against whom he pitched a shutout.
At the end of November 2007 he was 17-0-1 and widely regarded as America's best heavyweight prospect largely to his dominant jab.
On April 18, 2008, at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma, Johnson defeated Terry Smith by unanimous decision. Johnson used his long jab and hand speed to maneuver his way around the aggression of Smith.
Johnson scored the biggest win of his career with a TKO victory over a badly faded Bruce Seldon in September 2008 in Atlantic City.
His last win prior to his title shot was against Devin Vargas on May 15, 2009. Johnson was declared winner by technical knockout after Vargas's corner threw in the towel early in the sixth round.[1]
On 12 December 2009 Johnson took on Vitali Klitschko for the WBC Heavyweight title in Bern, Switzerland. Klitschko was never troubled by Johnson in front of an 18,000-strong crowd in Bern, Switzerland. The previously unbeaten Johnson was unable to land his trademark jab on the 6 ft 7in Vitali, and went on to lose every round of the contest to the Ukrainian. Johnson injured his shoulder 2 weeks prior to the fight.
After the loss to Klitschko, Johnson racked up victories against Charles Davis (19-20-02) and Julius Long (15-14-0) before signing to take place in Eddie Hearn's Prizefighter tournament in the UK.
On Saturday May 30th 2015, Johnson lost by TKO to Anthony Joshua in the 2nd round after being knocked down twice in the 1st. This was Johnson's first stoppage loss.
Retirement
Johnson announced his retirement from boxing after the defeat to Joshua.[2]
Professional boxing record
| Professional record summary | ||
| 37 fights | 29 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 14 | 1 |
| By decision | 15 | 6 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Loss | 29–7–1 | Anthony Joshua | TKO | 2 (10), 1:22 | May 30, 2015 | The O2 Arena, London, England | For WBC International heavyweight title |
| 36 | Loss | 29–6–1 | Manuel Charr | UD | 10 | Apr 12, 2014 | Telekom Dome, Bonn, Germany | |
| 35 | Loss | 29–5–1 | Dereck Chisora | UD | 12 | Feb 16, 2014 | Copper Box, London, England | For WBA International and WBO International heavyweight titles |
| 34 | Loss | 29–4–1 | Christian Hammer | UD | 10 | Dec 20, 2013 | Messehallen, Hamburg, Germany | |
| 33 | Win | 29–3–1 | Solomon Haumono | KO | 10 (12), 2:53 | Apr 28, 2013 | Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia | |
| 32 | Loss | 28–3–1 | Tyson Fury | UD | 12 | Dec 1, 2012 | Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 31 | Loss | 28–2–1 | Tor Hamer | UD | 3 | Jun 20, 2012 | York Hall, London, England | Prizefighter 25: heavyweight final |
| 30 | Win | 28–1–1 | Albert Sosnowski | SD | 3 | Jun 20, 2012 | York Hall, London, England | Prizefighter 25: heavyweight semi-final |
| 29 | Win | 27–1–1 | Noureddine Meddoun | TKO | 1 (3), 2:57 | Jun 20, 2012 | York Hall, London, England | Prizefighter 25: heavyweight quarter-final |
| 28 | Win | 26–1–1 | Alex Leapai | TKO | 9 (12), 2:22 | Apr 1, 2012 | Doomben Racecourse, Brisbane, Australia | Won IBF Australasian heavyweight title |
| 27 | Win | 25–1–1 | Harold Sconiers | TKO | 1 (6), 2:18 | Jun 25, 2011 | Elder Entertainment Center, Decatur, Georgia, U.S. | |
| 26 | Win | 24–1–1 | Julius Long | UD | 8 | Jan 22, 2011 | The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, U.S. | |
| 25 | Win | 23–1–1 | Charles Davis | KO | 4 (8), 2:54 | Oct 29, 2010 | Blake Hotel, Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| 24 | Loss | 22–1–1 | Vitali Klitschko | UD | 12 | Dec 12, 2009 | PostFinance Arena, Bern, Switzerland | For WBC heavyweight title |
| 23 | Win | 22–0–1 | Devin Vargas | TKO | 6 (10), 2:23 | May 15, 2009 | Broadway by the Bay, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 22 | Win | 21–0–1 | Matthew Greer | TKO | 3 (10), 2:26 | Nov 7, 2008 | Bally's, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 21 | Win | 20–0–1 | Bruce Seldon | TKO | 5 (10), 0:28 | Sep 5, 2008 | Bally's, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 20 | Win | 19–0–1 | Terry Smith | UD | 10 | Apr 18, 2008 | Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 19 | Win | 18–0–1 | Jermell Barnes | UD | 8 | Dec 5, 2007 | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, U.S. | |
| 18 | Win | 17–0–1 | Andrew Greeley | UD | 6 | Nov 9, 2007 | Paradise Theater, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 17 | Win | 16–0–1 | Damian Wills | UD | 10 | Aug 3, 2007 | Far West Rodeo, Doraville, Georgia, U.S. | |
| 16 | Win | 15–0–1 | Ron Guerrero | UD | 8 | Jun 9, 2007 | Convention Center, Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. | |
| 15 | Win | 14–0–1 | Curtis Taylor | KO | 1 (6) | Mar 29, 2007 | The Plex, North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. | |
| 14 | Win | 13–0–1 | Charles Davis | UD | 10 | Dec 8, 2006 | Paradise Theater, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 13 | Win | 12–0–1 | Michael Rhodes | UD | 6 | Nov 10, 2006 | Birchwood Manor, Whippany, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 11–0–1 | Demetrice King | UD | 6 | Oct 11, 2006 | Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, U.S. | |
| 11 | Win | 10–0–1 | Daniel Bispo | UD | 10 | Jun 10, 2006 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 10 | Win | 9–0–1 | Robert Hawkins | UD | 8 | Mar 31, 2006 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 8–0–1 | Robert Kooser | TKO | 1 (6), 1:16 | Jan 27, 2006 | Tropicana Casino & Resort, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 8 | Win | 7–0–1 | William Cook | UD | 8 | Jan 8, 2005 | Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma, Washington, U.S. | |
| 7 | Win | 6–0–1 | Karl Evans | TKO | 1 (6), 1:31 | Nov 6, 2004 | Glendale Arena, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 5–0–1 | Robert Wiggins | UD | 8 | Sep 30, 2004 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 4–0–1 | DeSean Harper | TKO | 4 (6) | Jul 28, 2004 | Orange County Fairgrounds, Middletown, New York, U.S. | |
| 4 | Draw | 3–0–1 | Timur Ibragimov | UD | 4 | Jun 17, 2004 | Harrah's, Laughlin, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Elfair McKnight | UD | 4 | Jul 13, 2003 | Cedar Beach, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | William Bolar | KO | 1 (4) | Apr 24, 2003 | Days Inn, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Stanford Brisbone | TKO | 4 (4), 2:36 | Feb 13, 2003 | Days Inn, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Professional debut |
Titles in boxing
| Regional titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alex Leapai |
IBF Australasian heavyweight champion April 1, 2012 – June 2012 Vacated |
Title discontinued |
References
- ↑ Chen, Howard (May 13, 2009), "Vargas ready for his biggest fight", FOXToledo.com
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcm5G4dCmyc