Kirk Johnson

Kirk Cyron Johnson (born June 29, 1972) is a Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2010, and challenged once for the WBA heavyweight title in 2002.

Early life

Kirk Cyron Johnson was born in North Preston, Nova Scotia, Canada, on June 29, 1972.

Amateur career

Kirk Johnson started boxing at eleven years old. Throughout his early amateur bouts, his trainer was his father, Gary Johnson Sr.<ref name="Edmonton Journal. (1996)">Template:Cite news</ref>

He became the world's best junior heavyweight in August 1989 at just 17 years old.<ref name="Toronto Star">Template:Cite web</ref> He made history as the first Nova Scotian and second Canadian to claim gold at the Junior World Championships.<ref name="Daily Gleaner. (1989)">Template:Cite news</ref>

At the Canadian intermediate amateur boxing championships in December 1989, Johnson captured the title in the heavyweight (91-kilogram) division.<ref name="Telegraph-Journal. (1989)">Template:Cite news</ref>

At 18, Johnson defended his junior world title at the October 1990 Junior World Championships in Lima, Peru,<ref name="The Toronto Star. (1990)">Template:Cite news</ref> where he lost in the final to a Soviet opponent. Moving into the senior ranks that year, he secured the Canadian senior national title. In September 1991, he won another title at the Canadian senior national boxing championships in Saskatoon.<ref name="Waterloo Region Record. (1991)">Template:Cite news</ref> As part of Canada's national boxing team, he competed in the 1991 World Amateur Boxing Championships held in Sydney, Australia.

Johnson, while still a young prospect and Olympic team member, spent time at a camp of legendary trainer and manager Lou Duva, and worked with him on and off.<ref name="Las Vegas Sun">Template:Cite web</ref>

He represented Canada at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona,<ref name="Olympic">Template:Cite web</ref> where he lost in the quarter-finals against eventual silver medallist David Izon of Nigeria.<ref name="National Post. (2000)">Template:Cite news</ref>

Highlights

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Template:Gold1 Junior World Championships, Bayamon, Puerto Rico, August 1989:

• 1/4: Defeated Pencho Dzhurov (Bulgaria) KO 1
• 1/2: Defeated Bobby Harris (United States) RSCH 1
• Finals: Defeated Dmitriy Avdalyan (Soviet Union) on points, 24–11

Template:Bronze3 Trofeo Italia, Mestre, Venice, Italy, March 1991:

• 1/4: Defeated Peter Hart (Hungary) RET 1
• 1/2: Lost to Peter Stettinger (Germany) by unanimous decision, 0–5

World Championships, Sydney, Australia, November 1991:

• 1/4: Lost to Félix Savón (Cuba) RET 2

Template:Col-2 Template:Silver2 Box-Am Tournament, Badalona, Spain, February 1992:

• 1/4: Defeated Georgios Stefanopoulos (Greece) on points, 12–7
• 1/2: Defeated Sandor Deak (Hungary) RET 2
• Finals: Lost to Félix Savón (Cuba) on points, 5–14

North & Central American Olympic Qualifications, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, April 1992:

• 1/2: Defeated Aridio Fana (Dominican Republic) on points, 18–2
• Finals: Defeated Jose Aníbal Marrero (Puerto Rico) on points, 28–4

Summer Olympics, Barcelona, Spain, July–August 1992:

• 1/8: Defeated Joseph Akhasamba (Kenya) RSC 2
• 1/4: Lost to David Izonritei (Nigeria) on points, 5–9

Template:Col-end His amateur record was 76 wins and 7 losses.

Professional career

The Olympic quarterfinalist had his first professional bout on April 24, 1993, against Andre Smiley in Las Vegas. He won by TKO in the third round.<ref name="BoxRec">Template:Cite web</ref> Early in his professional development, Johnson trained in Fort Worth, Texas, with ex-world champions Curtis Cokes and Donald Curry, while being co-managed by Ken Lilien and Chris Seeger.<ref name="Edmonton Journal. (1996)"/>

He fought Tyrone Evans on the Michael Moorer vs. George Foreman card on November 5, 1994, in Las Vegas.<ref name="Las Vegas Sun"/>

By the late 1990s, he was managed by boxing promoter and manager Cedric Kushner.<ref name="Las Vegas Sun"/> He began training under George Benton around 1997.<ref name="National Post. (2000) 2"/> Johnson, then an undefeated prospect, fought Al Cole to a ten-round draw in December 1998.<ref name="BoxRec 2">Template:Cite web</ref> Three months after their first meeting, Kirk Johnson, with Teddy Atlas in his corner, outpointed Al Cole by unanimous decision in March 1999. When Johnson and Atlas parted ways, he reconnected with Curtis Cokes, a Hall of Famer and former welterweight champion who had guided him early on.<ref name="National Post. (2000) 2">Template:Cite news</ref>

On October 7, 2000, Kirk Johnson stopped Oleg Maskaev, who later became WBC heavyweight champion, with a fourth-round knockout. He captured the PABA Heavyweight Title.<ref name="BoxRec 3">Template:Cite web</ref>

After defeating Larry Donald on July 7, 2001, Kirk Johnson rose to 32-0-1 and became the WBA's no. 1 contender and the mandatory title challenger.<ref name="The Toronto Star. (2001)">Template:Cite news</ref>

His contract with Kushner had expired. He joined Dino Duva's promotion, Duva Boxing, in April 2002, signing a $1.1 million deal after Duva outbid numerous promoters.<ref name="BoxingScene">Template:Cite web</ref>

In his first title fight in 2002, Johnson faced John Ruiz for the WBA Heavyweight Title. In the tenth round, Johnson was disqualified for low blows while trailing on all of the judges' scorecards. It marked his first defeat in his professional career.<ref name="CBC Sports">Template:Cite web</ref> He appealed the disqualification to the WBA, on the grounds that referee Joe Cortez had erred in calling some of the low blows and did not act impartially (both Ruiz and Cortez are of Puerto Rican descent).<ref name="Daily Gleaner. (2002)">Template:Cite news</ref> Though many boxing commentators agreed that the disqualification was unwarranted, the appeal was ultimately denied by the WBA.

He resurrected his career on March 15, 2003, scoring a fourth-round knockout over Lou Savarese in Dallas, Texas.<ref name="CBC Sports 2">Template:Cite web</ref> The win secured him the WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight Title.<ref name="BoxRec 4">Template:Cite web</ref> Johnson, then ranked eighth in the world, was set to meet champion Lennox Lewis on June 21, 2003, at the Staples Centre, but the fight between the Canadian Olympians never happened.<ref name="CBC Sports 2"/> Johnson withdrew from the fight on June 6, 2003, after tearing a chest muscle while sparring in his Fort Worth training camp.<ref name="The Globe and Mail. (2003)">Template:Cite news</ref>

On December 6, 2003, Johnson faced the Ukrainian contender and future champion Vitali Klitschko in New York's Madison Square Garden. He was easily defeated by Klitschko, losing by a second-round knockout.<ref name="CBC Sports 3">Template:Cite web</ref> He stepped into the ring at a career-high 260 pounds.<ref name="New York Post">Template:Cite web</ref>

Comeback

After the Klitschko fight, he staged a comeback. He knocked out Mexican heavyweight Gilbert Martinez in July 2004 and won a technical decision over Cuban Yanqui Díaz in June 2005.<ref name="BoxRec 6">Template:Cite web</ref> He lost his next bout (later changed to a technical decision) against Californian Javier Mora on March 3, 2006. During the seventh round, Mora appeared to have accidentally stepped on Johnson's foot, causing Johnson to dislocate his right knee.<ref name="The San Diego Union-Tribune">Template:Cite web</ref> This decision was subsequently appealed, and the result changed to a no decision.

On April 29, 2010, Johnson returned to the ring after a four-year absence and fought journeyman Douglas Robertson, defeating him via first-round TKO.<ref name="BoxRec 5">Template:Cite web</ref>

Johnson finished his career with a record of 37–2–1 (27 KOs), with one no contest.<ref name="BoxRec 6"/>

Halifax Regional Police lawsuit

In 2003, after dropping out of a planned fight against then-heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis because of an injury, Johnson launched a protracted legal battle against the Halifax Regional Police. During the inquiry, Johnson claimed that because of racism and racial profiling by the Halifax Regional Police,<ref name="Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission">Template:Cite web</ref> he had his car stopped 28 times over five years while in Halifax. Johnson was awarded $10,000 in damages, in addition to $4,790 to cover his travel expenses. The police service was also ordered to create a scholarship in Johnson's name.<ref>CBC News: Boxer Johnson wins Racism Complaint. December 23, 2003 Retrieved 29 December 2008</ref> It is awarded annually to a student from North Preston. Since 2003, 16 students have received awards.Template:Citation needed

Professional boxing record

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
41	Template:Yes2Win	Template:Nowrap	Template:Flagicon Douglas Robertson	TKO	1 (4), Template:Small	Apr 29, 2010	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
40	Template:Abbr	36–2–1 Template:Small	Template:Flagicon Javier Mora	TKO	7 (10), Template:Small	Mar 3, 2006	Template:Flagicon Template:Small	Template:Small
39	Template:Yes2Win	36–2–1	Template:Flagicon Yanqui Díaz	Template:Abbr	5 (10), Template:Small	Jun 9, 2005	Template:Flagicon Template:Small	Template:Small
38	Template:Yes2Win	35–2–1	Template:Flagicon Gilbert Martinez	Template:Abbr	8 (10), Template:Small	Jul 8, 2004	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
37	Template:No2Loss	34–2–1	Template:Flagicon Vitali Klitschko	TKO	2 (12), Template:Small	Dec 6, 2003	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
36	Template:Yes2Win	34–1–1	Template:Flagicon Lou Savarese	TKO	4 (12), Template:Small	Mar 15, 2003	Template:Flagicon Template:Small	Template:Small
35	Template:Yes2Win	33–1–1	Template:Flagicon Jeremy Bates	KO	2 (8), Template:Small	Dec 7, 2002	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
34	Template:No2Loss	32–1–1	Template:Flagicon John Ruiz	Template:Abbr	10 (12), Template:Small	Jul 27, 2002	Template:Flagicon Template:Small	Template:Small
33	Template:Yes2Win	32–0–1	Template:Flagicon Larry Donald	UD	12	Jul 7, 2001	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
32	Template:Yes2Win	31–0–1	Template:Flagicon Derrick Banks	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Apr 28, 2001	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
31	Template:Yes2Win	30–0–1	Template:Flagicon Oleg Maskaev	KO	4 (12), Template:Small	Oct 7, 2000	Template:Flagicon Template:Small	Template:Small
30	Template:Yes2Win	29–0–1	Template:Flagicon Marcus Johnson	TKO	2 (10), Template:Small	Jan 27, 2000	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
29	Template:Yes2Win	28–0–1	Template:Flagicon Rodolfo Marin	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Oct 7, 1999	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
28	Template:Yes2Win	27–0–1	Template:Flagicon Al Cole	UD	10	Mar 20, 1999	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
27	Template:DrawDraw	26–0–1	Template:Flagicon Al Cole	Template:Abbr	10	Dec 8, 1998	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
26	Template:Yes2Win	26–0	Template:Flagicon Levi Billups	UD	10	Aug 6, 1998	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
25	Template:Yes2Win	25–0	Template:Flagicon Eric Curry	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	May 9, 1998	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
24	Template:Yes2Win	24–0	Template:Flagicon Rocky Pepeli	TKO	1 (10)	Apr 2, 1998	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
23	Template:Yes2Win	23–0	Template:Flagicon Louis Monaco	TKO	7 (10), Template:Small	Jul 12, 1997	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
22	Template:Yes2Win	22–0	Template:Flagicon Everton Davis	KO	8 (10), Template:Small	Mar 11, 1997	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
21	Template:Yes2Win	21–0	Template:Flagicon Terry McGroom	TKO	8 (10), Template:Small	Nov 16, 1996	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
20	Template:Yes2Win	20–0	Template:Flagicon Danell Nicholson	UD	10	Aug 23, 1996	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
19	Template:Yes2Win	19–0	Template:Flagicon Darren Hayden	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	Jun 12, 1996	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
18	Template:Yes2Win	18–0	Template:Flagicon Mike Dixon	TKO	1 (8)	Mar 7, 1996	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
17	Template:Yes2Win	17–0	Template:Flagicon Art Bayliss	TKO	1 (8), Template:Small	Jan 25, 1996	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
16	Template:Yes2Win	16–0	Template:Flagicon Bradley Rone	Template:Abbr	8	Dec 21, 1995	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
15	Template:Yes2Win	15–0	Template:Flagicon Nathaniel Fitch	UD	8	Jul 7, 1995	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
14	Template:Yes2Win	14–0	Template:Flagicon Matt Green	KO	1 (8), Template:Small	May 3, 1995	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
13	Template:Yes2Win	13–0	Template:Flagicon Ron Gullette	KO	1 (8)	Mar 29, 1995	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
12	Template:Yes2Win	12–0	Template:Flagicon Marion Wilson	UD	8	Feb 3, 1995	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
11	Template:Yes2Win	11–0	Template:Flagicon Tyrone Evans	KO	8 (8), Template:Small	Nov 5, 1994	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
10	Template:Yes2Win	10–0	Template:Flagicon Keith McMurray	KO	3 (10)	Oct 12, 1994	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
9	Template:Yes2Win	9–0	Template:Flagicon George O'Mara	KO	1 (8)	Sep 9, 1994	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
8	Template:Yes2Win	8–0	Template:Flagicon Ross Puritty	UD	6	May 5, 1994	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
7	Template:Yes2Win	7–0	Template:Flagicon Dave Fiddler	TKO	2 (6)	Feb 17, 1994	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
6	Template:Yes2Win	6–0	Template:Flagicon Kelvin Hayden	KO	1 (6), Template:Small	Dec 16, 1993	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
5	Template:Yes2Win	5–0	Template:Flagicon Willie Johnson	KO	3 (6)	Oct 27, 1993	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
4	Template:Yes2Win	4–0	Template:Flagicon Bryant Smith	Template:Abbr	6	Oct 6, 1993	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
3	Template:Yes2Win	3–0	Template:Flagicon Ed Donaldson	KO	5 (6)	Aug 30, 1993	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
2	Template:Yes2Win	2–0	Template:Flagicon Earl Talley	Template:Abbr	1 (4), Template:Small	Jun 7, 1993	Template:Flagicon Template:Small
1	Template:Yes2Win	1–0	Template:Flagicon Andre Smiley	Template:Abbr	3 (4), Template:Small	Apr 4, 1993	Template:Flagicon Template:Small

Awards and recognitions

• 1989 Viscount Alexander Award (for Outstanding Junior Male Athlete of the Year)<ref name="National Post. (1990)">Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1990 Harry Jerome Award (for Outstanding Athletic Performance)<ref name="The Globe and Mail. (1990)">Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1990 Nova Scotia Male Athlete of the Year
• 2024 Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame<ref name="PNI Atlantic">Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Template:Sports links