Kevin Johnson (boxer) Biography | Kevin Johnson
Kevin Blue Johnson (born September 7, 1979) is an American professional boxer who has challenged once for the WBC heavyweight title in 2009.
Kevin Johnson (boxer) Age
Kevin Blue Johnson is an American professional boxer who has challenged once for the WBC heavyweight title in 2009 he is 39 years old as of 2018. He was born on September 7, 1979, in Asbury Park, NJ
Kevin Johnson (boxer) 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.
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Kevin Johnson (boxer) Height
Kevin Johnson has a height of 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) tall, Reach 82 in (208 cm)
Kevin Johnson (boxer) 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 already had 13 victories. To the great surprise of the audience, Johnson held Ibragimov to a draw. Three fights later in 2004 he handily beat well-known club fighter Robert Wiggins, who was 19-3-1 at the time.
After being somewhat inactive in 2005 he had another good win over a club fighter in Robert Hawkins 2006 against whom he won a shutout decision. He was 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.
Johnson defeated Devin Vargas on May 15, 2009. Johnson was declared a winner by technical knockout after Vargas’s corner threw in the towel early in the sixth round. With the win, Johnson earned a shot at the world title.
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. 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 and Julius Long before signing up for in Eddie Hearn’s Prizefighter tournament in the UK. Johnson would lose in the final against Tor Hamer. Johnson would settle in a gatekeeper role after the tournament, dropping decisions to Tyson Fury, Christian Hammer, Manuel Charr, and Dereck Chisora, but beating Solomon Haumono.
On Saturday, May 30th, 2015, Johnson lost by TKO to Anthony Joshua in the 2nd round. Johnson had been knocked down twice in the 1st. This was Johnson’s first stoppage loss.
Johnson announced his retirement from boxing after the loss to Joshua.
He returned in 2017 with a points win over journeyman Jamal Woods and later challenged Kubrat Pulev for the WBA Inter-Continental title. Despite being outboxed from the start, he managed to take Pulev 12 rounds. Johnson lost a unanimous decision 120–108, 120–108, and 119–109. On October 14, 2017, Johnson beat Francesco Pianeta via TKO in round 7.
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Kubrat Pulev to battle Kevin Johnson, April 28 in Sofia
Kubrat Pulev (24-1, 13 KOs) will defend his WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship against former World title challenger Kevin ‘Kingpin’ Johnson (30-7-1, 14 KOs) on Friday, April 28 at the Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria. Pulev made a triumphant homecoming on December 3, 2016, fighting for the first time in his home country, and forcing former WBC World Champion Samuel Peter to retire after three rounds in front of a capacity crowd of 15,000 Bulgarian fans.
‘’It was an overwhelming experience for me to receive so much support from the crowd. I could feel the energy surging around the arena, and that gave me the power to win by stoppage,’’ said ‘The Cobra’, who is now looking forward to a second fight on home soil as he aims to secure a second shot at World honors.
‘’My number one goal is to fight for the World title, and on April 28, I will take another step towards achieving this goal. I’m already training hard to prove I am worthy to fight again for the heavyweight crown.
‘’Johnson is a tough opponent. You must only look at his resume to tell this will be a real challenge. He has shared the ring with many World-class fighters like Vitali Klitschko and Anthony Joshua.
‘’I know I will need to be at my best to beat him, but with the help of my coach Ulli Wegner and the support of the Bulgarian people, I’m confident my hand will be raised, and we will be able to celebrate another great night for Bulgarian boxing and another step towards me fulfilling my dream of becoming the Heavyweight Champion of the World.’’
‘’We’re delighted to be returning to the Arena Armeec for what promises to be another great night of boxing on April 28,’’ said promoter Kalle Sauerland. ‘’We have promoted shows all over the World, and I must say, the atmosphere in Sofia was second to none. The support that Kubrat receives from the Bulgarian people is special, and this will help him to reach the top.
‘’He faces a tough test against Kevin Johnson, who has fought many of the biggest names in the heavyweight division, has only been stopped once. Kubrat must prove himself once again, and show that he is ready for a World title challenge.’’