Kirk Johnson
| Kirk Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Kirk Cyron Johnson |
| Nickname(s) | Bubba |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Reach | 81 in (206 cm) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Born |
June 29, 1972 North Preston, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 41 |
| Wins | 37 |
| Wins by KO | 27 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 1 |
Kirk Cyron Johnson (born June 29, 1972) is a Canadian former professional boxer who challenged once for the WBA heavyweight title in 2002.
Johnson represented Canada at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where he lost in the quarter-finals against eventual silver medallist David Izon (Nigeria). His amateur record was 76 wins and 7 losses.
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 was easily defeated by Klitschko, losing by a second-round knockout.
Johnson compounded the Kltschko embarrassment by coming into this fight at 260 pounds — an all-time high for him. Johnson weighed 232 pounds in his biggest win, over future WBC Heavyweight Champion Oleg Maskaev, in 2000.
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 Díaz 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.
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