Marvin Johnson Record
| Total Fights | 49 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 43 |
| Losses | 6 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No-Contests | 0 |
| Title Wins | 3 |
|---|---|
| Title Defenses | 1 |
| Title-Fight KOs | 4 |
| KO Wins | 35 |
| KO Losses | 5 |
Featured Opponents
What is Marvin Johnson's boxing record?
In a professional boxing career spanning 14 years, Marvin Johnson fought 49 times with 43 wins and 6 losses.
Johnson retired from professional boxing with a record of 43-6, which included three light-heavyweight world-title wins and one successful title defense fight. He had a 71.4% knockouts-to-fights ratio with 35 of his total 49 fights being knockout wins, four of which were in title fights. Johnson suffered five knockout losses in his career, three of which were in title fights.
His last fight was a 8th round RTD defeat to Leslie Stewart on May 23, 1987. Johnson lost the light-heavyweight WBA title to Stewart in this fight.
Some of Johnson's best fights and notable victories include wins over Hall-of-Famer Víctor Galíndez, Leslie Stewart, Jean Marie Emebe, Mate Parlov, Eddie Davis, and Charles Williams.
| # | Date | Age | Opponent | Res | Via |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | May 23, 1987 | 33 | Leslie Stewart | Loss * | RTD8 |
| 48 | Sep 20, 1986 | 32 | Jean Marie Emebe | Win * | TKO13 |
| 47 | Feb 9, 1986 | 31 | Leslie Stewart | Win * | TKO7 |
| 46 | Dec 4, 1985 | 31 | Frank Lux | Win | KO4 |
| 45 | Oct 11, 1985 | 31 | Raleigh Searcy | Win | TKO4 |
| 44 | Apr 21, 1985 | 31 | Eddie Davis | Win | TKO5 |
| 43 | Jan 17, 1985 | 30 | Charles Henderson | Win | TKO2 |
| 42 | Dec 13, 1984 | 30 | Eddie Collins | Win | KO2 |
| 41 | Nov 8, 1984 | 30 | Charles Williams | Win | UD |
| 40 | Aug 30, 1984 | 30 | Johnny Davis | Win | UD |
| 39 | Jun 14, 1984 | 30 | Jerome Clouden | Win | RTD5 |
| 38 | Mar 26, 1984 | 29 | Eddie Gonzales | Win | KO4 |
| 37 | Jan 18, 1984 | 29 | Elvis Parks | Win | TKO4 |
| 36 | Nov 21, 1983 | 29 | Mike Brothers | Win | TKO10 |
| 35 | Feb 25, 1983 | 28 | Andros Ernie Barr | Win | TKO8 |
| 34 | Oct 14, 1982 | 28 | Alvino Manson | Win | KO1 |
| 33 | Apr 6, 1982 | 27 | Darnell Hayes | Win | TKO2 |
| 32 | Mar 28, 1981 | 26 | Michael Spinks | Loss | KO4 |
| 31 | Jan 28, 1981 | 26 | Rick Nash | Win | TKO3 |
| 30 | Jan 15, 1981 | 26 | Eddie Straight | Win | TKO1 |
| 29 | Sep 9, 1980 | 26 | Dave Lee Royster | Win | KO4 |
| 28 | Mar 31, 1980 | 25 | Eddie Mustafa Muhammad | Loss * | TKO11 |
| 27 | Nov 30, 1979 | 25 | Víctor Galíndez | Win * | KO11 |
| 26 | Sep 20, 1979 | 25 | Carlos Marks | Win | UD |
| 25 | Apr 22, 1979 | 25 | Matthew Saad Muhammad | Loss * | TKO8 |
| 24 | Dec 2, 1978 | 24 | Mate Parlov | Win * | TKO10 |
| 23 | Sep 15, 1978 | 24 | Jerry Celestine | Win | UD |
| 22 | Jun 17, 1978 | 24 | Lottie Mwale | Loss | PTS |
| 21 | May 24, 1978 | 24 | John Baldwin | Win | UD |
| 20 | Apr 3, 1978 | 23 | Eddie Davis | Win | TKO7 |
| 19 | Jan 25, 1978 | 23 | Roberto Reynosa | Win | KO1 |
| 18 | Nov 1, 1977 | 23 | Billy Douglas | Win | TKO5 |
| 17 | Sep 28, 1977 | 23 | Johnny Fields | Win | KO1 |
| 16 | Jul 26, 1977 | 23 | Matthew Saad Muhammad | Loss | TKO12 |
| 15 | Apr 22, 1977 | 23 | Tom Bethea | Win | TKO4 |
| 14 | Feb 21, 1977 | 22 | Johnny Townsend | Win | UD |
| 13 | Nov 30, 1976 | 22 | Vandell Woods | Win | UD |
| 12 | Sep 14, 1976 | 22 | Wayne McGee | Win | TKO1 |
| 11 | Apr 15, 1976 | 22 | Harold Carter | Win | KO2 |
| 10 | Apr 3, 1976 | 21 | Ray Anderson | Win | TKO6 |
| 9 | Nov 13, 1975 | 21 | Eddie Owens | Win | KO3 |
| 8 | Apr 17, 1975 | 21 | Paul Cardoza | Win | TKO5 |
| 7 | Jan 29, 1975 | 20 | Gary Summerhays | Win | UD |
| 6 | Dec 11, 1974 | 20 | Jim Adams | Win | TKO1 |
| 5 | Nov 12, 1974 | 20 | Johnny Words | Win | TKO6 |
| 4 | Jul 17, 1974 | 20 | Ted Paxton | Win | KO2 |
| 3 | Oct 30, 1973 | 19 | Chuck Warfield | Win | TKO5 |
| 2 | Sep 17, 1973 | 19 | Al Byrd | Win | TKO1 |
| 1 | May 22, 1973 | 19 | Sylvester Wilder | Win | KO2 |
* World-title fight
Boxing career
Marvin Johnson (Pops) is a 70-year old retired American professional boxer. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA on April 12, 1954. He is a former light-heavyweight world champion. His professional boxing career spanned more than 14 years — from 1973 to 1987.
Johnson made his professional boxing debut against Sylvester Wilder at the age of 19 on May 22, 1973, defeating Wilder via 2nd round KO. He went on to win 14 more consecutive fights after the debut, which included 11 wins via stoppage.
He had his first world title fight at the age of 24 on December 2, 1978 after 23 professional fights, against Mate Parlov for the light-heavyweight WBC title. He defeated Parlov via 10th round TKO to become the light-heavyweight champion of the world.
Johnson has won three world titles at light-heavyweight. For all the details about Johnson's world title wins and defenses refer to the "Championships" section below.
Johnson had a total of six losses in his professional boxing career.
His last professional fight was a light-heavyweight title defense bout against Trinidadian boxer Leslie Stewart on May 23, 1987. Johnson lost the fight via 8th round RTD — and lost his WBA title. It's been 36 years, 11 months, and 2 days since this fight.
Championships
Johnson had a total of seven world-title fights, which includes winning three world titles and one successful title defense. He won four of these fights and lost three.
Title Wins
Marvin Johnson fought for light-heavyweight world titles in three fights and won all three of them via stoppage. In total, he won three light-heavyweight belts.
| Date | Opponent | Division | Titles Won | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 9, 1986 | Leslie Stewart | Light-heavyweight | WBA* | TKO |
| Nov 30, 1979 | Víctor Galíndez | Light-heavyweight | WBA | KO |
| Dec 2, 1978 | Mate Parlov | Light-heavyweight | WBC | TKO |
Title Defenses
Marvin Johnson had four light-heavyweight world-title defense fights. He won once and lost three times.
Following is the table of his successful title defense fights, the next section has the fights where he lost his titles.
| Date | Opponent | Division | Titles Defended | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 1986 | Jean Marie Emebe | Light-heavyweight | WBA | TKO |
Title Losses
Marvin Johnson lost three world-title defense fights, and lost a total of three titles in these fights.
| Date | Opponent | Division | Titles Lost | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 1987 | Leslie Stewart | Light-heavyweight | WBA | RTD |
| Mar 31, 1980 | Eddie Mustafa Muhammad | Light-heavyweight | WBA | TKO |
| Apr 22, 1979 | Matthew Saad Muhammad | Light-heavyweight | WBC | TKO |
Highlights
Johnson fought a total of 49 times during his professional career, which includes 7 world-title fights at the light-heavyweight division. These three fights are the highlight of his career.
December 2, 1978: Johnson wins his first world title by defeating Mate Parlov via 10th round TKO. He is now the WBC light-heavyweight world champion.
April 21, 1985: Marvin Johnson beats Eddie Davis via 5th round TKO.
February 9, 1986: Johnson wins the WBA light-heavyweight title from Leslie Stewart, by beating Stewart via 7th round TKO.
FAQs
How many KOs does Marvin Johnson have on his record?
Johnson knocked out 35 of his 49 opponents. By his last fight, his KO ratio was at 71.4%. Of his total 43 wins, 35 of them were via KO (81.4%).
What was Marvin Johnson's first world title win?
Johnson's first world-title win was the WBC belt at light-heavyweight. He defeated Mate Parlov via 10 round TKO to win the title.
How many world titles did Marvin Johnson win?
Johnson won three world titles at light-heavyweight.
How many title defenses did Marvin Johnson make?
Johnson had a total of four title defense fight. He was successful one time and lost three times.