| 16 April 2010
During the late 90s and early 2000s Canadian heavyweight Kirk Johnson (36-2-1, 26 KOs) was a fighter on the rise. Wins over the like of Oleg Maskaev, Larry Donald, and Lou Saverese had many believing that Johnson had the mantle to become a champion in boxing’s glamour division. Johnson soon relocated to Dallas to team up with Hall of Famer Curtis Cokes, and though he would fall short of capturing a major title, none the less, Johnson’s resume was fairly impressive, especially when compared to the dregs in today’s heavyweight waters. However, rumored laxed training techniques, and a serious knee injury seemingly had Johnson’s career on ice, until the announcement this afternoon that Johnson was making his triumphant return to the ring April 29 as the co-featured bout on the Paulie Ayala Productions card taking place at the Speedway Club at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnson will face journeyman Douglas Robertson. Austin prospect Casey Ramos will headline the card against Angel Rodriguez of Houston.
Official press release after the jump:
FORT WORTH, TEXAS --- Former #1 World Ranked Heavyweight Contender and World Title challenger, Kirk Johnson (36-2-1, Dallas), will be returning to ring action for the first time in over 4 years when he will be featured on the undercard of SPEEDWAY FIGHT NIGHT on Thursday, April 29th at the Texas Motor Speedway’s, Speedway Club.
Johnson, who last fought on March 3, 2006, is set to battle Douglas Robertson (3-23, Longview, TX) in a 4-round heavyweight fight. The Johnson vs. Robertson fight will be one of six fights on a card that will feature Texas Champion and undefeated prospect, Casey Romos (10-0, Austin) taking on Houston’s highly regarded Angel Rodriguez (4-3-1) in an 8-round Super Featherweight main event. The first fight starts at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets for the event, which is being promoted by Paulie Ayala Productions, are priced at $100 VIP, $35 Reserved and $20 General Admission. VIP Tickets include a VIP Pre-Fight Reception and premium seating. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations, including online at www.ticketmaster.com.
According to promoter Paulie Ayala, having Johnson’s on the card will provide fight fans with a big-time name fighter on the card. “As we know, everyone likes the heavyweights and Kirk is one of the best in the world over the past ten years,” said Ayala, the former two-time world champion and Boxing’s 1999 “Fighter of the Year.”
“I was pleasantly surprised when Kirk asked about making his first comeback fight on our card at the Speedway Club. It was an easy ‘Yes’ from me. For sure, the fight fans will be excited to get a chance to see Kirk on the card. It’s not every day you get a chance to see a world class heavyweight fight.”
Johnson’s fight resume looks like a “Who’s Who” of heavyweight Olympiand, contenders and champions. He challenged for the World Heavyweight crown on July 27, 2002 when he lost on a tenth-round disqualification to world champion John Ruiz for the WBA World Heavyweight Championship. At the time of the disqualification, Johnson was behind by only one point on two of the three judge’s scorecards, with a clear chance of still winning the fight.
Johnson may have lost his only world title bid, but also defeated several outstanding heavyweights along the way, including big wins over World Champion Oleg Maskaev, Olympians Larry Donald and Danell Nicholson and former #1 World Ranked Contender, Lou Savarese. Johnson’s only other career loss was to future Hall of Famer and current World Heavyweight Champion, Vitali Klitschko.
“I had a great run, with a lot of big wins,” noted Johnson, now 37. “But I’m not satisfied I walked away without becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. I know what’s out there now and feel I have a very good shot at any of the champions if all goes well. This fight on April 29th will hopefully be the start of a successful comeback that will result in me fulfilling my dream of becoming the World Heavyweight Champion.”
SPEEDWAY FIGHT NIGHT FIGHT CARD
8 Rounds, Super Featherweight
Casey Ramos (10-0, Austin) vs Angel Rodriguez (4-3-1 Houston, TX)
4 Rounds, Heavyweight
Kirk Johnson (36-2-1, Dallas) vs. Douglas Robertson (3-23, Longview)
4 Rounds, Jr. Featherweight
Lisa Lamb (6-5, Fort Worth) vs. Gerbaria Mayfield (Pro Debut)
4 Rounds, Lightweight
Albert Romero (0-1-1, Austin) vs. Robert Anthony Reyes (2-1, Wichita Falls)
4 Rounds, Jr. Welterweight
Forest Curry (2-4, Fort Worth) vs. Fernando Rodriguez (2-0, Dallas)
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