Marcellus Joseph Johnson (born August 13, 1971), better known as Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, is an American former

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 1990 to 2006. He is a three-time world champion in two weight classes, having held the IBF

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 ...

title from 1996 to 1999; the IBF

junior bantamweight Super flyweight, also referred to as junior bantamweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . History The first title match in this division was in 1980, when the World Boxing Council responded to pressure from As ...

title from 1999 to 2000; and the

WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxin ...

junior bantamweight title from 2003 to 2004. A fast and skilled southpaw, Johnson reached a peak ''Ring'' magazine

pound for pound Pound for pound is a ranking used in combat sports, such as boxing, wrestling, or mixed martial arts, adjusted to compensate for weight class. As fighters in different weight classes do not compete directly, determining the best fighter pound for ...

ranking of fifth in 1998, and is the first African-American boxer to win a flyweight world title. In 2012 he was inducted into the

International Boxing Hall of Fame The International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, right next to exit 34 of the New York State Thruway, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected on ballots cre ...

Amateur career

Johnson was an

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

standout, winning the 1989 U.S. national championships at light flyweight.

Professional career

Flyweight

Johnson, defeated Francisco Tejedor to win the IBF

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 ...

title in 1996. Although he never attained significant popularity due to his weight class and lack of defining fights, he went on to become one of the top pound for pound fighters in boxing for several years. Johnson conceded in a 2001 interview that his decision to manage his career independently during his peak, rather than signing with an established promoter, contributed to his inability to secure high-profile fights, "I realized I had to have some management like a Don King or a Bob Arum or a ouDuva to get these fights."

Junior Bantamweight

Johnson defended that crown seven times until April 1999, when he rose to win the IBF's junior bantamweight crown with a unanimous decision over Ratanachai Sor Vorapin at Washington, D.C.'s MCI Center (now the Capital One Arena). He defended the Super Flyweight title twice. However, his career was interrupted when he was sentenced to a year in prison on a drug related parole violation as well as domestic assault charges involving his wife. While incarcerated, he was stripped of his IBF title due to inactivity.

Bantamweight

Johnson returned to the ring in 2001, scoring two consecutive wins. In his third fight at bantamweight Johnson lost in an upset to up and coming Rafael Marquez by split decision over 10 rounds later that year. This bout was clouded by the fact that Johnson was docked two points for holding. In the rematch the following year, Marquez took Johnson apart, winning by TKO in the 8th round. In 2003, Johnson upset WBO super flyweight champion

Fernando Montiel Fernando Montiel Martínez (born March 1, 1979) is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a multiple-time former world champion in three weight classes, having held the WBO flyweight title from 2001 to 2002, the WBO junior bantamweight title twi ...

. Johnson defended that title once before losing by knockout in the 8th round to Ivan Hernández. Johnson retired following his second straight loss in February 2006 after falling by eighth-round knockout to current WBC featherweight titleholder

Jhonny González Jhonny González Vera (born September 15, 1981) is a Mexican professional boxer.. Retrieved 26 September 2016. He is a two-time former world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBO bantamweight title from 2005 to 2007, and the WB ...

Professional boxing record

References

External links

*
The Trial and Tribulations of a DC Boxer
1995 article at ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Mark 1971 births Boxers from Washington, D.C. Flyweight boxers International Boxing Federation champions Living people Super-flyweight boxers World Boxing Organization champions Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers World flyweight boxing champions World super-flyweight boxing champions International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees American male boxers Bantamweight boxers 20th-century American sportsmen