John Michael Johnson (born June 23, 1968, in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, USA) is a retired American

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

boxer He made his professional debut in 1986 and was a WBA bantamweight world champion

Professional career

Known as "Bam Bam," Johnson turned professional in 1986. In 1994 he won the WBA bantamweight title by knocking out

Junior Jones Junior Jones (born December 20, 1970) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2002. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight title from 1993 to 1994 an ...

in the 11th round. Later that year, Johnson controversially lost the belt in his first defense to Daorung Chuvatana in Thailand. Near the end of the first round, Johnson sustained a cut above his right eye from a headbutt, however, the referee ruled that it was caused by a punch and the fight was called off upon the recommendation of the ringside doctor, resulting in a first round technical knockout victory for Chuwatana. Johnson immediately filed a protest on the grounds that the injury had been caused by a headbutt and that a technical draw should have been declared. In 1999 he challenged

Lehlohonolo Ledwaba Lehlohonolo Benedict Ledwaba (27 July 1971 – 2 July 2021) was a South African professional boxer who competed from 1990 to 2006, and held the IBF super bantamweight title from 1999 to 2001. Ledwaba died from COVID-19 on 2 July 2021, at age 4 ...

for the vacant IBF

super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a boxing weight classes, weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanct ...

title but lost by decision. In 2001 Johnson made a comeback and scored four victories, including a technical knockout over Antonio Diaz and a knockout in the first round over

Augie Sanchez Augustine Anthony Sanchez (born November 17, 1977, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.) is an American boxing trainer and retired featherweight boxer. As an amateur boxer, he was the US featherweight champion, known for being the last American to defeat Fl ...

. Due to his success, he was named ''Ring Magazine'' comeback of the year. Johnson lost both of his bouts in 2002 and retired later in the year. On September 29, 2014, Johnson lost an eight-round fight to Ricardo Alvarez by unanimous decision.

Professional boxing record

Personal life

Johnson was married to Sandra Johnson. They have three children, John Michael Johnson Jr., Alexandra Marie Johnson, and Jessica Michelle Johnson.

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, John Michael 1968 births Living people American male boxers Boxers from San Antonio African-American boxers Super-flyweight boxers Super-bantamweight boxers Featherweight boxers World bantamweight boxing champions World Boxing Association champions 20th-century American sportsmen

Professional career

Professional boxing record

Personal life

See also

References

External links