Bunny Johnson

[The Devil In Roy Jones]

I had a friend when I was at school who had an uncle that made a losing challenge for the British light-heavyweight title back in the 70's. He lost to then champion Bunny Johnson. I was looking through Johnson's record and noticed some pretty decent wins. Anyone know what he was like as a fighter? I know he runs a pub in Brum these days, and took part in some dodgy OAP pop video in June 2001, but if he was still a fighter today, how much success would he have?



http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=000376

[bennie]

Johnson was a world class fighter. He had all the moves and a fight-winning left hook. His big mistake was kidding himself he was a heavyweight for many years when he was just a light-heavy (blame Muhammad Ali and his huge presence in the game - even John Conteh boxed at heavyweight because of it). Johnson still had the class and power to win British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles - but was much more effective a weight down. His last fight at heavy came on the Muhammad Ali-Richard Dunn bill in Munich in 1976 against unbeaten American white hope Duane Bobick. Bunny made the much-touted Bobick look a complete mug in the early rounds in a fight screened to America, but Bobick's greater natural strength wore him down. It really was a case of brute strength winning out that night and Johnson was convinced. He moved down and won the British light-heavyweight title with a crushing one-round knockout of Tim Wood, and cruised to a Lonsdale Belt outright with wins over Dennis Andries and Scottish dangerman Rab Affleck (who has done a lot of acting work).
But Bunny was really getting on at this point and any world title aspirations were behind him.

[silkov]

Johnson was a world class fighter. He had all the moves and a fight-winning left hook. His big mistake was kidding himself he was a heavyweight for many years when he was just a light-heavy (blame Muhammad Ali and his huge presence in the game - even John Conteh boxed at heavyweight because of it). Johnson still had the class and power to win British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles - but was much more effective a weight down. His last fight at heavy came on the Muhammad Ali-Richard Dunn bill in Munich in 1976 against unbeaten American white hope Duane Bobick. Bunny made the much-touted Bobick look a complete mug in the early rounds in a fight screened to America, but Bobick's greater natural strength wore him down. It really was a case of brute strength winning out that night and Johnson was convinced. He moved down and won the British light-heavyweight title with a crushing one-round knockout of Tim Wood, and cruised to a Lonsdale Belt outright with wins over Dennis Andries and Scottish dangerman Rab Affleck (who has done a lot of acting work).
But Bunny was really getting on at this point and any world title aspirations were behind him.

Yeah, interesting point about Bunnys Heavyweight career being a mistake... though it's impressive that he had the success he did at Heavy, had he stuck to the lighter division earlier he may well have picked up a World title oir at least fought for one.... a fight with Conteh would have been very interesting eh!... 8) 8)