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Harold Johnson, boxer, 86
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David Carson
Feb 22, 2015, 9:02:48 PM2/22/15
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http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/12357866/harold-johnson-former-light-heavyweight-champion-dies-86
Ex-champ Harold Johnson, 86, dies
By Dan Rafael | ESPN.com
Updated: February 21, 2015, 9:39 AM ET
Former light heavyweight champion Harold Johnson, a renowned ring
technician and 1993 inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame,
died on Thursday in Philadelphia. He was 86.
Johnson (76-11, 32 KOs), born Aug. 9, 1928 in Philadelphia's Manayunk
neighborhood, turned professional in 1946 after being discharged from the
U.S. Navy and boxed until 1971.
He defeated fellow Hall of Famers Jimmy Bivens, Archie Moore and Ezzard
Charles during his 25-year career. He fought Moore five times but went
1-4. He also defeated such top opponents as Arturo Godoy, Bert Lytell, Bob
Satterfield, Jesse Bowdry, Eddie Machen and Doug Jones.
In 1961, he knocked out Bowdry in the ninth round to win the NBA light
heavyweight title and made two defenses.
In 1962, he got a shot at the vacant light heavyweight world title and won
a 15-round unanimous decision against Jones in Philadelphia. Johnson made
one successful defense, traveling to Germany and outpointing Gustav Scholz
before losing the championship via controversial 15-round split decision
to Hall of Famer Willie Pastrano in 1963 in Las Vegas.
"Harold Johnson was one of the greatest technical boxers the sweet science
has ever seen," Hall of Fame executive director Edward Brophy said. "The
Hall of Fame joins the worldwide boxing community in mourning his passing
and offer our condolences to his family."
Johnson's father, Phil, was a boxer and Johnson, who learned to box while
he was in the Navy, opened his career with 24 consecutive victories before
losing a 10-round decision to Moore in 1949. Johnson boxed mainly as a
light heavyweight but had many fights at heavyweight, including a
third-round knockout loss to Hall of Fame former heavyweight champion
Jersey Joe Walcott in 1950.
In 1954, in their fifth and final meeting, Johnson challenged then-light
heavyweight champion Moore for the title. He dropped Moore in the 10th
round and was ahead on the scorecards after the 13th round. But Moore
rallied for a 14th-round knockout to retain the title.
Hall of Fame promoter J Russell Peltz, of Philadelphia, considered Johnson
his boyhood hero and became good friends with him later in life.
"My friends would dream about being Mickey Mantle or Tommy McDonald or
Wilt Chamberlain, but for me, Harold Johnson was 'the bomb.' It got to the
point that when I was in high school, I would get my hair cut so short,
just like Harold's, that my head looked like a dirty tennis ball," Peltz
said. "Friends would yell 'there goes Peltz with his Harold Johnson
haircut.' His passing leaves me empty and comes at a time when I am
questioning my own future in the sometimes wonderful, sometimes wretched
world of professional boxing.
"Harold was the light heavyweight champion of the world when, as he would
remind me, there was only one world, not a conglomeration of close to 70
beltholders."
Peltz recalled Johnson's title defense in Germany, which came just six
weeks after he defeated Jones for the title.
"Harold flew to Berlin, Germany, where he earned a 15-round decision over
Gustav Scholz to convince the European Boxing Union that he, indeed, was
the man at 175 pounds," said Peltz, who drove Johnson to Canastota, New
York, for his Hall of Fame induction. "Scholz had lost just one out of 92
fights going in. There were 40,000 people in that outdoor soccer stadium
and the voting referee and both judges were from Europe. Imagine today's
prima donnas doing that."
--
Dead or Alive Data Base
http://www.doadb.com
Ex-champ Harold Johnson, 86, dies
By Dan Rafael | ESPN.com
Updated: February 21, 2015, 9:39 AM ET
Former light heavyweight champion Harold Johnson, a renowned ring
technician and 1993 inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame,
died on Thursday in Philadelphia. He was 86.
Johnson (76-11, 32 KOs), born Aug. 9, 1928 in Philadelphia's Manayunk
neighborhood, turned professional in 1946 after being discharged from the
U.S. Navy and boxed until 1971.
He defeated fellow Hall of Famers Jimmy Bivens, Archie Moore and Ezzard
Charles during his 25-year career. He fought Moore five times but went
1-4. He also defeated such top opponents as Arturo Godoy, Bert Lytell, Bob
Satterfield, Jesse Bowdry, Eddie Machen and Doug Jones.
In 1961, he knocked out Bowdry in the ninth round to win the NBA light
heavyweight title and made two defenses.
In 1962, he got a shot at the vacant light heavyweight world title and won
a 15-round unanimous decision against Jones in Philadelphia. Johnson made
one successful defense, traveling to Germany and outpointing Gustav Scholz
before losing the championship via controversial 15-round split decision
to Hall of Famer Willie Pastrano in 1963 in Las Vegas.
"Harold Johnson was one of the greatest technical boxers the sweet science
has ever seen," Hall of Fame executive director Edward Brophy said. "The
Hall of Fame joins the worldwide boxing community in mourning his passing
and offer our condolences to his family."
Johnson's father, Phil, was a boxer and Johnson, who learned to box while
he was in the Navy, opened his career with 24 consecutive victories before
losing a 10-round decision to Moore in 1949. Johnson boxed mainly as a
light heavyweight but had many fights at heavyweight, including a
third-round knockout loss to Hall of Fame former heavyweight champion
Jersey Joe Walcott in 1950.
In 1954, in their fifth and final meeting, Johnson challenged then-light
heavyweight champion Moore for the title. He dropped Moore in the 10th
round and was ahead on the scorecards after the 13th round. But Moore
rallied for a 14th-round knockout to retain the title.
Hall of Fame promoter J Russell Peltz, of Philadelphia, considered Johnson
his boyhood hero and became good friends with him later in life.
"My friends would dream about being Mickey Mantle or Tommy McDonald or
Wilt Chamberlain, but for me, Harold Johnson was 'the bomb.' It got to the
point that when I was in high school, I would get my hair cut so short,
just like Harold's, that my head looked like a dirty tennis ball," Peltz
said. "Friends would yell 'there goes Peltz with his Harold Johnson
haircut.' His passing leaves me empty and comes at a time when I am
questioning my own future in the sometimes wonderful, sometimes wretched
world of professional boxing.
"Harold was the light heavyweight champion of the world when, as he would
remind me, there was only one world, not a conglomeration of close to 70
beltholders."
Peltz recalled Johnson's title defense in Germany, which came just six
weeks after he defeated Jones for the title.
"Harold flew to Berlin, Germany, where he earned a 15-round decision over
Gustav Scholz to convince the European Boxing Union that he, indeed, was
the man at 175 pounds," said Peltz, who drove Johnson to Canastota, New
York, for his Hall of Fame induction. "Scholz had lost just one out of 92
fights going in. There were 40,000 people in that outdoor soccer stadium
and the voting referee and both judges were from Europe. Imagine today's
prima donnas doing that."
--
Dead or Alive Data Base
http://www.doadb.com
3pie...@gmail.com
Feb 23, 2015, 10:45:23 PM2/23/15
to
Jake LaMotta being the oldest---is over 90 now.
Ali is the oldest living heavyweight champion--73.
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