Kirk Johnson

Kirk Johnson (born June 29, 1972) is a professional heavyweight boxer from North Preston, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Amateur career

Johnson represented Canada at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where he lost in the quarter-finals against eventual silver medalist David Izon (Nigeria).

Pro career

He had his first professional bout on April 24 1993 against Andre Smiley.

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 losing on all of the judges' scorecards. Johnson 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.

On December 6, 2003 Johnson faced the Ukrainian contender and future champion Vitali Klitschko in New York's Madison Square Garden. He showed up out of shape and was schooled by the fast and powerful Klitschko, losing by a second round knockout.

Johnson compounded the Ruiz embarrassment by coming into this fight at 260 pounds - an all time high for him. Johnson weighed 232 pounds in his biggest win, over current WBC Heavyweight Champion Oleg Maskaev, in 2000.

Comeback

After the Klitschko fight, Johnson staged a comeback. He knocked out Mexican heavyweight Gilbert Martinez in July 2004 and won a technical decision over Cuban Yanqui Diaz in June 2005, although he lost his next bout (later changed to a technical decision) against Californian Javier Mora in March 2006. Mora appeared to have accidentally stepped on Johnson's foot, causing Johnson to dislocate his knee. This decision was subsequently appealed and the result changed to a No Decision. Johnson has since recovered from his knee injury, but is not currently an active fighter.

Johnson's record is now at 36 - 2 - 1 (26 KO's), with one No Decision.

Behind the Ring

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 he had 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. Fact|date=September 2008 It will be awarded annually to a student from North Preston.

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