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.

He became the world's best junior heavyweight in August 1989 at just 17 years old. He made history as the first Nova Scotian and second Canadian to claim gold at the Junior World Championships.

At the Canadian intermediate amateur boxing championships in December 1989, Johnson captured the title in the heavyweight (91-kilogram) division.

At 18, Johnson defended his junior world title at the October 1990 Junior World Championships in Lima, Peru, 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. 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.

He represented Canada at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where he lost in the quarter-finals against eventual silver medallist David Izon of Nigeria.

Highlights

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 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

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

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. 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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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). 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. The win secured him the WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight Title. 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.

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. He stepped into the ring at a career-high 260 pounds.

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. 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. 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.

Johnson finished his career with a record of 37–2–1 (27 KOs), with one no contest. 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. It is awarded annually to a student from North Preston. Since 2003, 16 students have received awards.

Professional boxing record

Awards and recognitions 1989 Viscount Alexander Award (for Outstanding Junior Male Athlete of the Year) 1990 Harry Jerome Award (for Outstanding Athletic Performance) 1990 Nova Scotia Male Athlete of the Year 2024 Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame