BoxRec

Any one know much about 1970's chicago fighter Johnny Heard

I knew him very well.
He worked my corner as a second between his own fights.
I also used to spar with him all the time.
We have boxed countless rounds. We were friends. I havent seen him in a few years.
He lost vision in one of his eyes from boxing but last time I saw him he seemed like he was happy as he was coaching amateurs.
Johnny was a very very slick fighter who fought everyone and gave a lot of good fighters a rough time.
My favorite Johnny Heard story was when he was sent over to Europe to fight Olympic hotshot prospect Marjan Benes. Johnny wasnt figured to win that one by whoever signed him to go and he knocked the guy out in the first round.
Johnny was carrying the newspaper clipping of that one around for awhile.The European paper.

[quote="Expug"]I knew him very well.
He worked my corner as a second between his own fights.
I also used to spar with him all the time.
We have boxed countless rounds. We were friends. I havent seen him in a few years.
He lost vision in one of his eyes from boxing but last time I saw him he seemed like he was happy as he was coaching amateurs.
Johnny was a very very slick fighter who fought everyone and gave a lot of good fighters a rough time.[/quote]
is it true johnny heard never turned pro until he was 32?

Cotto16 wrote:

Expug wrote:I knew him very well.
He worked my corner as a second between his own fights.
I also used to spar with him all the time.
We have boxed countless rounds. We were friends. I havent seen him in a few years.
He lost vision in one of his eyes from boxing but last time I saw him he seemed like he was happy as he was coaching amateurs.
Johnny was a very very slick fighter who fought everyone and gave a lot of good fighters a rough time.

is it true johnny heard never turned pro until he was 32?

I beleve so.
Johnny was in his fifties and still fighting.So, that sounds right.
Any time someone would ask his age,Johnny would say "52". That went on for years.

[quote="Expug"][quote="Cotto16"][quote="Expug"]I knew him very well.
He worked my corner as a second between his own fights.
I also used to spar with him all the time.
We have boxed countless rounds. We were friends. I havent seen him in a few years.
He lost vision in one of his eyes from boxing but last time I saw him he seemed like he was happy as he was coaching amateurs.
Johnny was a very very slick fighter who fought everyone and gave a lot of good fighters a rough time.[/quote]
is it true johnny heard never turned pro until he was 32?[/quote]


I beleve so.
Johnny was in his fifties and still fighting.So, that sounds right.
Any time someone would ask his age,Johnny would say "52". That went on for years.[/quote]

I remember reading about johnny heard and he said he based alot of his style on slick fighters like jersey joie walcot and charley burley, did he find boxing at a late age? 32 is pretty old to turn pro and still be fighting at 52

Im quite sure he fought as an amateur also.
Johnnys age was always a mystery believe me. He may have been even older when he turned pro. It wouldnt surprise me.
He did have moves like the fighters you mentioned. Very cagey. I learned alot from sparring with him. He could punch pretty good also. He broke my nose.

[quote="Expug"]Im quite sure he fought as an amateur also.
Johnnys age was always a mystery believe me. He may have been even older when he turned pro. It wouldnt surprise me.
He did have moves like the fighters you mentioned. Very cagey. I learned alot from sparring with him. He could punch pretty good also. He broke my nose.[/quoteJ

Johnny heard won the sub novice golden gloves in 1960, but never turned pro til 1974? which is a massive gap why did he wait so long before turning pro? did you box pro your self?

I had a few pro fights back in the eighties.
Not exactly sure why Johnny waited so long to turn pro.

[quote="Expug"]I had a few pro fights back in the eighties.
Not exactly sure why Johnny waited so long to turn pro.[/quote]

Do you think With better managment johnny heard could of been a world champion?

Maybe. Thats hard to say. He had some uncanny skills but I think he was ok with being a journeyman type fighter. He just took fights anywhere against anyone probably because he needed the dough I guess.

[quote="Expug"]Maybe. Thats hard to say. He had some uncanny skills but I think he was ok with being a journeyman type fighter. He just took fights anywhere against anyone probably because he needed the dough I guess.[/quote]

from what av read and heard about johnny heard he sounds like a 70's version of former ibf champion freddie pendleton and maybe emanuel augustus both fighters were very slick and travled the globe fighting everyone and anyone. Did johnny heard ever get any work sparring any of the top fighters of the 70's, such as duran, herans, benitez, hagler or leaonard?

Not to my knowledge.Ive seen him in many gym wars with contenders such as Johnny Lira and Lenny Lapaglia though.
He traveled all the time for fights out of town but I dont remember him in any big name camps.