George Johnson (boxer)

George Johnson
Born(1938-12-15)December 15, 1938
Oklahoma City
DiedApril 9, 2016(2016-04-09) (aged 77)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesScrap Iron
Statistics
Weight(s)235 (1972)[1]
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights54
Wins22
Wins by KO11
Losses27
Draws5

George Raft "Scrap Iron" Johnson (December 15, 1938 – April 9, 2016)[2] was an American heavyweight boxer whose career spanned the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Johnson fought many of the top fighters of his era, including George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, Ron Lyle, Duane Bobick, Joe Bugner, Jerry Quarry, and Eddie Machen.[3]

Whilst a journeyman fighter he was nonetheless notorious for being extremely durable. He could take vast amounts of punishment. George Foreman said he had the best chin of all his opponents.[4] He retired in 1975 with a record of 22–27–5. He was inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.[5][6][7][8]

Johnson was nicknamed "Scrap" by girls in his neighborhood in Oklahoma City when he was about seven years old, because he used a wheelbarrow to salvage machinery parts to earn money. By high school, his American football teammates tacked on the "iron."[9][10]

In 1969, after putting together a string of wins, Johnson was defeated by Sonny Liston in Las Vegas after seven rounds. Johnson had been scheduled to get married at midnight after the fight, but pushed off the wedding to the next day to recover. Johnson later claimed "Liston hit me so hard, I married the wrong woman."[11][12]

  1. ^ Ryan, Joe. Heavyweight Boxing in The 1970s: The Great Fighters and Rivalries Archived 2024-04-28 at the Wayback Machine, p. 133 (2013)
  2. ^ "The Secretariat of trial horses". Boxing.com. 20 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
  3. ^ Hudson, David L. & Mike Fitzgerald. Boxing's Most Wanted Archived 2024-04-28 at the Wayback Machine (2004)
  4. ^ "Best I Faced: George Foreman". The Ring. 2014-07-04. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  5. ^ California Boxing Hall of Fame Inductees, Californiaboxinghalloffame.com (via archive.com 26 June 2008 version of list)
  6. ^ Ortiz, Johnny (5 March 2005). Golden Era Boxers Enter California Hall of Fame Archived 2024-04-28 at the Wayback Machine, Boxing Scene
  7. ^ Stewart, Larry (3 March 2005). Imhoff Says Hundley's Line Isn't So 'Hot' , Los Angeles Times (confirms hall of fame induction)
  8. ^ (8 April 1966). Boxer Fills Old 'Tradition' Archived 2024-04-28 at the Wayback Machine, The Spokesman-Review
  9. ^ Barrett, Eldon (23 October 1973). 'Scrap Iron' faces Kirkman Archived 2024-04-28 at the Wayback Machine, Ellensburg Daily Record (UPI story)
  10. ^ (15 March 1970). There's A Ring to Scrap Iron's Name Archived 2016-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, Independent Press-Telegram
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference liston2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Stewart, Larry (6 March 2004). He Liked Running With Tough Crowds , Los Angeles Times