Johnny King (8 January 1912 – 6 March 1963) was an English

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

who competed from 1926 to 1947. Predominantly a

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 ...

, he was a two-time British bantamweight champion and a one-time British Empire (Commonwealth) bantamweight champion. His professional fighting weight varied from ,

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

, to ,

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

Professional career

King made his professional debut on 25 April 1926, when he beat Jim Costello. On 10 August 1931 he beat Pat Boy Gorman for the vacant BBBofC Northern Area bantamweight title. On 21 December 1931 he fought Dick Corbett for the BBBofC British Empire bantamweight title, and the vacant BBBofC British bantamweight title, at Kings Hall, Manchester. King lost the bout but would meet Corbett again on 10 October 1932, this time beating him and winning both titles. He became a popular fighter and crowd-puller, producing a twenty-one match undefeated run, losing his twenty second to

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Domenico Bernasconi. On 12 June 1933 he successfully defended the British Empire bantamweight title against Canadian bantamweight champion Bobby Leitham, beating him on points. On 3 July 1933 King fought Panama Al Brown in a losing effort for the IBU World bantamweight title. King almost knocked Brown out in the seventh round, but Brown managed to hold on for a points decision. Years later Brown would comment on the power of the punch the Manchester man displayed. On 12 February 1934 King met Dick Corbett for the third time, losing both his British and British Empire titles on points. On 27 May 1935 King won his second British bantamweight title after defeating Len Hampston on points. He would hold the British title for the next twelve years, though would only defend it twice, largely due to the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. On 6 May 1936 King fought Nel Tarleton for the BBBofC British featherweight title, losing on points. His first defence of the British bantamweight title was against

Jackie Brown ''Jackie Brown'' is a 1997 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, based on the 1992 novel ''Rum Punch'' by Elmore Leonard. It stars Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, a flight attendant who smuggles money between the United Sta ...

, in front of a 20,000 strong crowd at Kings Hall, Manchester on 31 May 1937. King knocked Brown out in the thirteenth round. His second defence was against Len Hampston at Headingley Rugby Ground,

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

on 22 June 1938. Hampston was disqualified in the third round. King continued to fight during and after the war but struggled to find any form. On 10 February 1947 he lost the British title to Jackie Paterson, after being knocked out in the seventh round. Having lost his last five bouts, King retired shortly after.

Second World War

During the Second World War King fought in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. He was aboard the King George V-class battleship HMS ''Prince of Wales'' when she was sunk by a Japanese air attack off

Kuantan Kuantan (Pahang Malay: ''Kontaeng''; Terengganu Malay: ''Kuatang/Kuantang'') is a city and the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located near the mouth of the Kuantan River. Kuantan is the Largest cities in Malaysia, 12th largest city ...

, in the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

.Middlebrook p. 48

Notable bouts

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, , , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , align=left, Nel Tarleton , , , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , align=left, Len Hampston , , , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , align=left, Panama Al Brown , , , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , align=left, Bobby Leitham , , , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , align=left, Dick Corbett , , , , align=left, , align=left, .

References

Bibliography

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External links

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Image - Johnny King

Image - Johnny King
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Johnny 1912 births 1963 deaths Bantamweight boxers English male boxers Featherweight boxers Flyweight boxers Lightweight boxers Boxers from Manchester Royal Navy personnel of World War II Shipwreck survivors 20th-century English sportsmen