BoxRec

NBC-TV Friday Night Fights

November.6.1959
Syracuse New York.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_s1ohwBbJA

Here is George Chuvalo vs Mike DeJohn(September.27.1963,Louisville Kentucky).
This was DeJohn's 59th and final professional fight.
(6th round only).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRFACJDD6lo

Powell was on the canvas 4 seconds after the bell rang.

Sonny Liston vs Mike DeJohn aired live on ABC-TV WEDNESDAY NIGHT FIGHTS,February.18.1959.
(Although I have never seen a tape of it)
Here is a link to a photo of Sonny Liston fighting Mike DeJohn.
Reportely,DeJohn Buckled Liston's knees with a punch in one of the early rounds,and drew some blood from his nose.
Liston gave DeJohn a right uppercut,when DeJohn was on one knee in the sixth(probably unintentional),
there was an almost mele after the decision,when DeJohn called Liston a name apaprently they took another swing at each other.

http://books.google.com/books?id=sEEDAA ... pg=PA53&dq

Mike DeJohn
(one of the hardest punching heavyweight contenders ever).
had appeared on the ABC-TV Saturday Fight of the Week.
here is a listing of some of his television appearences
on that show.If anyone knows of others please list them.
and are any of these fights recorded on video-tape?

Mike DeJohn vrs Zora Folley-March.16.1960(Cleveland,Ohio)
Mike Dejohn vrs Billy Hunter-November.26.1960(MSG,NYC)
Mike DeJohn vrs. Eddie Machen(II)September.16.1961(Syracuse,NY)
Mike DeJohn vrs. Bob Cleroux-July.23.1962(Miami Beach,Fl.)
Mike DeJohn vrs. Billy Daniels-November.3.1962(Miami Beach,Fl)

previously Mike DeJohn had fought live on television on
NBC-TV Gillette fights.here is a listing.

Mike DeJohn vrs Alex Mitoff-October.9.1957(Syracuse)
Mike DeJohn vrs Nino Valdes(I)-April.23.1958(Syracuse,NY)
Mike DeJohn vrs Bob Baker-June.20.1958(Syracuse,NY)
Mike DeJohn vrs Nino Valdes(II)-August.11.1958(Rochester,NY)
Mike DeJohn vrs Willi Besmanoff(I)-Novemember.28.1958(MSG)
Mike DeJohn vrs Willi Besmanoff(II)-June.16.1959(Milwaukee)
Mike DeJohn vrs Charlie Powell-November.6.1959(Syracuse,NY)

here is a link to another newspaper ring action photo of
Sonny Liston vrs. Mike DeJohn(February.18.1959)
(scroll up on page to see photo)

http://www.news.google.com/newspapers?i ... 93,1246324

here is a link to an Ebay ,AP wire ring action photo of Eddie Machen vrs Mike DeJohn (I)
April.10.1961 at the Cow Palace San Francisco,CA
(hopefully someone can scan these ebay photos and download them here
before they are removed from on-line)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1961-Eddie-Mach ... 23218fd73c

(Scroll down to bottom of link to see larger view of photo)

Brutu wrote:here is a link to an Ebay ,AP wire ring action photo of Eddie Machen vrs Mike DeJohn (I)
April.10.1961 at the Cow Palace San Francisco,CA
(hopefully someone can scan these ebay photos and download them here
before they are removed from on-line)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1961-Eddie-Mach ... 23218fd73c

(Scroll down to bottom of link to see larger view of photo)

Footage exists of Dejohn Vs.

Sala 1 and 2
Mead
Hunter
Chuvalo
Daniels
Powell
Besmanoff
Machen

Off the top of my head.

Footage exists of his brothers Ralph against Overlin and Joey against LaMotta, Hayes, and Rindone.

hey Il Duce,What can you tell us about the boxing career of Mike DeJohn?
I don't think anyone was aware(at least on the web)that he had passed away
in 1989 .(I remember asking here if he was still around in 2010).
Although Im sure it was probably mentioned in one of the boxing magazines back in 1989.
I know he worked as a bartender in Miami after he retired after the Chuvalo fight.
He would later work in the 1970's at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas as a blackjack dealer
and then at the Showboat Casino in Las Vegas when he died(after heart surgery) at age 57 in 1989.

Is there a listing of televised fights of Carmen Basilio?
Mike DeJohn was a stablemate of his in the early 1950's
and I think even trained him in the late 1950's.
They both appeared on a number of fight cards together.
Carmen Basilio vs Johnny Cunningham was televised November.28. 1953.
and Mike DeJohn vrs Norval Gaddis on the same card from Toledo Ohio may have been too (possibly).

For his second fight with Gene Fullmer in June 1960,Carmen Basilio used Mike DeJohn(215 lbs)
as a sparring partner(sort of)as far as preparing for clinching and wrestling inside.
scroll up to see Basilio and Dejohn doing some roadwork

http://www.news.google.com/newspapers?i ... 1848502&dq

I think the only other Mike DeJohn bout I have seen on a dvd collection
was the second fight with Besmanoff June 1959.
here is a link to a newspaper ring action photo and article.

http://www.news.google.com/newspapers?i ... 3654731&dq

here is a link to a good posed photograph of Mike DeJohn.
(click on image to enlarge it)

http://www.vintagesportsshoppe.com/photos/john1.jpg

here is another ring action photo of Eddie Machen vrs Mike DeJohn.

http://www.boxing.com/ten_count_for_tommy_dejohn.html

In 1967 someone asked George Chuvalo who had hit him
with the hardest punch so far.
Hus answer was Mike DeJohn hit him with a left hook
and Zora Folley had hit him with a straight right.
A few years later Chuvalo said the hardest punchers
he had faced were George Foreman,Mike DeJohn and Mel Turnbow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrye5xSdIbY


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpkxLaIBGZQ

When DeJohn Ko'd Alex Miteff in 77 seconds it was the quickest KO ever scored in a main event on national TV. When Mike KO'd Charley Powell in 49 seconds that became the new record for a quick national TV main bout stoppage. So Mike twice held the record before he retired.
Mike usually ran out of gas after 4 rounds and he was completely exhausted when he caught Billy Hunter with a couple of desperation bombs for a KO the 9th round in another televised bout.
Klompton those bouts listed with Sala 1 + 2 and Mead were against Joey DeJohn.
C. H.

Mike DeJohn vrs Willie Besmanoff II
June 1959 Milwaukee WI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuOOMNe8kuU

Someone mentioned Bob Cleroux. I haven't seen any of his fights since the 60s. Anybody got a link to one of his fights?

Cap wrote:Someone mentioned Bob Cleroux. I haven't seen any of his fights since the 60s. Anybody got a link to one of his fights?

I dont know if there are links to his fights but I have five or six of Clerouxs fights and having seen them i dont understand why everyone always talks about chuvalo. Cleroux was the better Canadian hw and proved it. He just didnt have the longevity of Chuvalo.

Cap wrote:Someone mentioned Bob Cleroux. I haven't seen any of his fights since the 60s. Anybody got a link to one of his fights?

In the documentery THE LAST ROUND
they briefly show a clip from the first Chuvalo vrs Cleroux fight August 1960.

DeJohn is one of those fighters I remember watching as a little kid in the 1950's.. My dad would watch Boxing 2 or 3 X a week.. He'd always yell "Fights are on" my mom and siblings would generally ignore him -- I generally watched.. The fights featured: Sugar Ray Robinson.. Rocky Marciano.. Sonny Liston.. Floyd Patterson.. Harold Johnson.. Archie Moore.. Joe Brown.. Joey Giardello.. Bobo Olson.. Joe Medel.. Davey Moore the Featherweight.. Jimmy Carter.. Johnny Saxton.. Ralph Dupas.. Denny Moyer and many others.

If there were any fights I skipped it would generally be guys I considered less skillful. Charlie Powell was definitely one of those.

Kalan wrote:DeJohn is one of those fighters I remember watching as a little kid in the 1950's.. My dad would watch Boxing 2 or 3 X a week.. He'd always yell "Fights are on" my mom and siblings would generally ignore him -- I generally watched.. The fights featured: Sugar Ray Robinson.. Rocky Marciano.. Sonny Liston.. Floyd Patterson.. Harold Johnson.. Archie Moore.. Joe Brown.. Joey Giardello.. Bobo Olson.. Joe Medel.. Davey Moore the Featherweight.. Jimmy Carter.. Johnny Saxton.. Ralph Dupas.. Denny Moyer and many others.

If there were any fights I skipped it would generally be guys I considered less skillful. Charlie Powell was definitely one of those.

and of course dont forget Ralph "Tiger" Jones.

Yup... He did a number on Sugar Ray Robinson. Pounded him real good.