Stevie Johnston
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Steven Earl Johnston (born September 28, 1972 in Denver, CO) is an American boxer at lightweight.
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[edit] Professional career
Known as "Lil' But Bad", Johnston turned pro in 1993 after a storied amaetur career and fought for the WBC Lightweight Title against Jean Baptiste Mendy in 1989, winning a lose split decision. Johnston defended the title three times before losing he belt to Cesar Bazan in 1998 in a close decision. In 1999 he won a rematch against Bazan in another close decision. He defended the title four times, including a victory over Angel Manfredy, but lost the belt in a loss to José Luis Castillo in 2000 via majority decision. The loss was declared the 2000 Upset of the Year by Ring Magazine, as Castillo was relatively unknown at the time and Johnston was thought to be over the hill. It wasn't until a couple years later that the world would know how good of a fighter Castillo was. Later that year, in an attempt to regain the belt, Johnston rematched Castillo. In a bizarre ending, Johnston was originally declared the winner by Majority decision. Several minutes later it was discovered that Judge Ken Morita's scorecard (originally 115-114 Johnston) had been added incorrectly and should have read 114-114, thus making the bout a draw and allowing Castillo to retain his title. This was to be Johnston's last shot at a major title, as he lost his next big fight, a WBC Lightweight Title Eliminator in 2003 to Juan Lazcano, a stunning 11th round TKO loss. Prior to the loss, the durable Johnston had never been stopped. After the loss, Johnston was inactive for more than two years due to injuries suffered in a car accident later that year. "I'm lucky to be alive, never mind fighting," Stevie explained. "I went through the windshield, woke up in the hospital, and ended-up with more than 100-stitches in my face." [1] Johnston came back in 2005 and in 2006 took on former champion Vivian Harris and was dominated. Johnston was down twice in the 1st round and once in rounds 4 and 7, losing in a 7th round TKO.
| Preceded by Jean-Baptiste Mendy |
WBC Lightweight boxing champion 1 Mar 1997– 13 Jun 1998 |
Succeeded by Cesar Bazan |
| Preceded by Cesar Bazan |
WBC Lightweight boxing champion 27 Feb 1999– 17 Jun 2000 |
Succeeded by José Luis Castillo |
[edit] Amateur career
Amateur Record: 260-13
- 1989 lost at Lightweight in the United States Championships to Shane Mosley
- 1990 United States Amateur champion at Light Welterweight
- 1990 2nd place at Light Welterweight at the World Championships in Lima, Peru; losing to Hector Vinent of Cuba.
- 1991 Light Welterweight Gold Medalist at the Pan-American Games in Havana, Cuba. Results were:
- Mark Leduc (Canada) won on points
- Luiz da Silva (Brazil) won by forfeit
- Edgar Ruiz (Mexico) won on points
- 1992 2nd place at Light Welterweight at United States Amateur Championships, losing to Shane Mosley.
- 1992 finished 2nd at the Olympic Trials in Worcester, MA, attempting to qualify as a Light Welterweight. Results were:
- Mark Lewis won on points
- Terronn Millett won on points
- Vernon Forrest lost on points, Johnston then lost again to Forrest in the Box-Offs in Phoenix.
