KIRK JOHNSON PROFILE AND BIO

Kirk Johnson has long been regarded as one of the heavyweight division’s rising stars. Armed with only one blemish on his impressive record, the highly touted heavyweight contender possesses skills, speed and power, and has provided strong performances against tough opponents.

Uncharacteristic lackluster performances, however, in back-to-back fights against former world champion Al “Ice” Cole, coupled with inactivity caused by serious injuries, have prevented Kirk from achieving the instant success many thought was once possible. In June of this year, his chances of attaining glory and fame were once again doomed when he sustained a muscle injury in training that not only prevented him from fighting Lennox Lewis but also resulted in Vitali Klitschko, who was scheduled for the undercard, to instead take Kirk’splace.

Defeating Oleg Maskaev on October 7, 2000, revitalized the Canadian’s career, returned him to prominence and ignited fan interest. Most importantly, he provided boxing experts worldwide with a reason to take him seriously.

He earned the respect of fans and media alike by abandoning his vast boxing skills and demolishing the hard-punching former Russian amateur star in dramatic style. Kirk produced a breathtaking performance against Maskaev, being aggressive from the outset and dominating most of the rounds. The hard-hitting Canadian floored Maskaev four times (once through the ropes) en route to a knockout at 0:41 of the fourth round.

“Maskaev was the opportunity we were waiting for, and my opportunity to rise and shine,” Kirk said.

By winning the World Boxing Association (WBA) elimination bout, Kirk believed he was in position for an immediate shot at the title. Instead, the WBA ordered him to participate in another title eliminator on July 7, 2001, this time against Larry Donald. Kirk kept his title hopes alive by registering a unanimous 12-round decision in that contest.

Following the Maskaev massacre, he knocked Derrick Banks out in the first round in April 2001.

In his second WBA elimination bout, Kirk went 12 rounds for the first time in registering a unanimous decision over Larry Donald in July 2001. He suffered some damage to his right eye, but earned the mandatory title spot in the WBA.

Kirk was born and raised in the Canadian small town of North Preston, Nova Scotia and started boxing at age 11. During his amateur career, the 1989 Junior World Amateur Champion compiled a 72-6 record, while earning the heavyweight gold medal in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Additionally, he won the Canadian national amateur title three times and represented Canada at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

“People say I have potential, but now is the time to put it up. Everybody said Ruiz had potential until he beat Holyfield. I want to win the WBA title and then unify the championship and leave a legacy of being a great champion. I want to use my money to buid a recreational centre for all the kids back in North Preston.”

He had the opportunity to achieve his goal when he faced John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight championship in July 2002 in Las Vegas. The heavyweight contender was a 3-1 favorite, and most experts thought this was the night Kirk would achieve greatness. However, he fell behind early against his awkward opponent and was disqualified in the 10th round for repeated low blows against the champion.

“I had a lot of emotion,” Kirk said. “I wanted to box well. I wanted to be impressive, and sometimes when you want to impress, you do not. I wanted to fight impressively so I could fight Lennox Lewis next. I started to feel good, but I do not know what happened. It was terrible, man.”

In his two fights since the disqualification, Kirk regained the form that made him one of the heavyweight division’s most feared fighters. First, he scored a second-round knockout over Jeremy Bates in December 2002. Three months later in March 2003, he stopped Lou Savarese in the fourth round.