Callum Johnson | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Callum Paul Johnson 20 August 1985 (age 38) Boston, Lincolnshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | The One | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight(s) | Light-heavyweight | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11+1⁄2 in (182 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 73 in (185 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Callum Paul Johnson[2] (born 20 August 1985) is a former British professional boxer who challenged once for the IBF light-heavyweight title in 2018. At regional level, he held the Commonwealth light-heavyweight title from 2016 to 2018 and the British light-heavyweight title in 2018. As an amateur, he won a gold medal whilst representing Scotland at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Amateur career[edit]
Callum began boxing at a local club in his home town of Boston from an early age but moved to train at Terry Allen Unique ABC in Lincoln by the time he was sixteen. He fought 40 times in international contests.[3] In total Johnson boxed on 120 occasions as an amateur winning 95.[4]
Despite being English and living in Lincolnshire, Johnson boxed for Scotland for six years qualifying by way of his Grandmother who came from Springburn in Glasgow. For the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi he was made the captain of the Scottish boxing squad.[5]
Commonwealth Games[edit]
Johnson was part of the Scotland team to compete at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Picked at the 81kg Light heavyweight category Johnson fought his way to the final beating the likes of Krystian Borucki of the Isle of Man in his first bout, defeating British number one Obed Mbwakongo representing England 6–2 in the quarter-finals[6] and stopping Jermaine Asare of Wales in the semi's. In the final he claimed the gold medal with an 8–1 win over Northern Ireland's Thomas McCarthy.[citation needed]
Speaking of his win Johnson said that he needed to keep his concentration following the attempts of his teammate Steve Simmons trying to play the Flower of Scotland on a Vuvuzela during the last 3 minutes of the fight. He said "I could hear Stevie, and, to be honest, in the last round I nearly started singing it myself...It was in my head - I was singing it in my head in the last 30 seconds. But you've got to keep focused, because it only takes one shot in this game."[7]
Professional career[edit]
Early career[edit]
After the Commonwealth Games Johnson made the decision to turn professional signing with promoter Frank Warren and being managed by former world champion Prince Naseem Hamed.[8] Speaking of signing professional forms Johnson said "It's fantastic to turn professional under Frank Warren who is the man to guide me to achieve my dream, to become world champion."[8]
The decision to join Warren's stable of boxers meant that Johnson joined the likes of other former Commonwealth Games gold medalists to have turned pro with Warren including Scotsman Alex Arthur who won gold in 1998 and Stephen Smith, Jamie Cox and Don Broadhurst all of whom won gold in 2006.[8]
Speaking of his decision to go into boxing management Naseem Hamed claimed that boxing had become "downtrodden" Johnson would add a bit of "sparkle" to the sport saying "Callum Johnson is going to be the guy to put that in. He is going to be the best breath of fresh air boxing can have." He added "I think his first ten fights will be ten knockouts and he'll be world champion within three years."[9]
Johnson vs. Townley[edit]
On 4 December 2010, Johnson made his professional debut at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow boxing on the undercard of Ricky Burns world title defence against Andreas Evenson. The fight against Phillip Townley was stopped in the second round, handing Townley his first stoppage defeat and a first win for Johnson.[10]
Speaking of the nature of the victory, Naseem Hamed said "This guy's got dynamite in his hands...I just feel that he is so explosive, so chilling. He throws his punches so correctly. That is one of the reasons I got involved with Callum Johnson."[10]
Johnson vs. Meikle[edit]
His second fight took place on 14 March 2011, in which he faced Jody Meikle. The fight went on to the final stage and was won by points (40-35 to Callum). This marked his second victory in 2 professional fights, keeping his record as a 100% win.[11]
Johnson vs. Beterbiev[edit]
On 6 October 2018 Johnson challenged Artur Beterbiev for his IBF world light heavyweight title. Johnson, an underdog in the fight, managed to drop Beterbiev in the second round with a left hook. Beterbiev, however, recovered quickly and dropped Johnson in the fourth round with a big right hand, forcing the referee to stop the fight.[12]
Johnson vs. Monaghan[edit]
In his next bout, Johnson fought Sean Monaghan, who was ranked #13 by the WBC at light heavyweight. Johnson won the fight in the third round via TKO.[13]
Johnson vs. Markic[edit]
In his following bout, Johnson fought and defeated WBO #15 Emil Markic with a second round TKO.[14]
Johnson Vs. Sharp[edit]
Johnson had come out of retirement for one last fight, This last fight he fought 8-130-1 boxer Daryl Sharp, Johnson won by KO in the 1st round making one of the most spectacular comebacks in British boxing history
Professional boxing record[edit]
| 21 fights | 20 wins | 1 loss |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 14 | 1 |
| By decision | 5 | 0 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes | 9 dec 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Win | 20–1 |  Server Emurlaev
|
MD | 10 | 9 Oct 2021 |  Arena Birmingham, Birmingham, England
|
Retained WBO Global light-heavyweight title | |
| 20 | Win | 19–1 |  Emil Markic
|
TKO | 2 (10), 2:37 | 24 Apr 2021 | York Hall, London, England
|
Won vacant WBO Global light-heavyweight title | |
| 19 | Win | 18–1 |  Sean Monaghan
|
TKO | 3 (10), 0:23 | 9 Mar 2019 | Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, New York, US
|
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| 18 | Loss | 17–1 | Artur Beterbiev
|
KO | 4 (12), 2:36 | 6 Oct 2018 | Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, US
|
For IBF light-heavyweight title | |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Frank Buglioni
|
TKO | 1 (12), 1:31 | 24 Mar 2018 | The O2 Arena, London, England
|
Retained Commonwealth light-heavyweight title; Won British light-heavyweight title | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 |  Willbeforce Shihepo
|
KO | 9 (12), 2:07 | 24 Sep 2016 | Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
|
Won vacant Commonwealth light-heavyweight title | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 |  Norbert Szekeres
|
TKO | 1 (6), 2:32 | 18 Jun 2016 | EventCity, Manchester, England
|
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| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Richard Horton
|
TKO | 1 (6), 1:18 | 7 May 2016 | Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
|
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| 13 | Win | 13–0 |  Tsvetozar Iliev
|
PTS | 4 | 26 Jun 2015 | Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
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| 12 | Win | 12–0 |  Jose Manuel Iglesias
|
KO | 1 (6), 1:17 | 11 Apr 2015 | First Direct Arena, Leeds, England
|
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| 11 | Win | 11–0 |  Bartlomiej Grafka
|
TKO | 2 (8), 1:59 | 7 Mar 2015 | Meres Leisure Centre, Grantham, England
|
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| 10 | Win | 10–0 |  Josef Obeslo
|
TKO | 1 (6), 3:00 | 7 Nov 2014 | North Kesteven Centre, Lincoln, England
|
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| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Luke Allon
|
TKO | 3 (6), 1:39 | 4 Oct 2014 | First Direct Arena, Leeds, England
|
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| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Nathan King
|
PTS | 4 | 27 Jun 2014 | Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland
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| 7 | Win | 7–0 |  Egidijus Kakstys
|
TKO | 2 (4), 2:10 | 17 May 2014 | North Kesteven Centre, Lincoln, England
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| 6 | Win | 6–0 | John Anthony
|
DQ | 7 (8), 2:16 | 31 May 2013 | Town Hall, Walsall, England
|
Anthony disqualified for persistent holding | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | James Tucker
|
TKO | 7 (8), 1:18 | 18 May 2012 | Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester, England
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| 4 | Win | 4–0 |  Tommy Tolan
|
KO | 1 (4), 1:30 | 10 Mar 2012 | Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland
|
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| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Lee Duncan
|
PTS | 4 | 16 Jul 2011 | Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
|
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| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Jody Meikle
|
PTS | 4 | 12 Mar 2011 | Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland
|
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| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Phillip Townley
|
TKO | 2 (4), 1:34 | 4 Dec 2010 | Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland
|
Personal life[edit]
Callum has two sons, Corbon-Rize and Clay-Jonno.
References[edit]
- ^ "6th Commonwealth Championships". Amateur Boxing. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984–2004. Gives name at birth as "Callum Paul Johnson".
- ^ "This is Lincolnshire | Callum keeps his feet on the ground despite turning professional". Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- ^ This is Lincolnshire | Hamed back protege Johnson to rule boxing world
- ^ "The Herald | Scotlands commonwealth boxing captain hopes to celebrate medal glory". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- ^ This is Lincoln | Callum Johnson ensures bronze and sets his sights on Olympic games spot
- ^ The Scotsman | Euphoria nearly got the better of Callum Johnson
- ^ a b c Boxing Scene | Callum Johnson Commonwealth champion inks with Warren
- ^ The Scotsman | Prince Naseem tips Johnson to breathe new life into the sport
- ^ a b BBC Sport | Naseem Hamed praises 'chilling' Johnson debut
- ^ "BoxRec: Bout". boxrec.com. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ "Artur Beterbiev survives knockdown, scores fourth-round KO of Callum Johnson to retain title". The Ring. 7 October 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ "Johnson vs Monaghan - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ "Johnson vs Markic - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
External links[edit]
- Boxing record for Callum Johnson from BoxRec (registration required)
- Callum Johnson - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings at Box.Live