Harold Johnson vs. Tommy Merrill
Harold Johnson 184 lbs beat Tommy Merrill 180 lbs by TKO at 1:55 in round 9 of 10
- Date: 1963-03-19
- Location: Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA
- Referee: Gene Pinter
- Judge: Dick Woerhle
- Judge: Al Jackson
Champ Toys With Merrill
SCRANTON, Pa. (UPI) — World light heavyweight champion Harold Johnson, making his first ring appearance since defending his title against Gustav Scholz in Berlin last June, toyed with Tommy Merrill for eight rounds Tuesday night before registering a technical knockout in a non-title bout. Referee Gene Pinter stopped the fight at 1:55 of the ninth round after Johnson had pounded his young rival continuously from the start of the scheduled 10-rounder. Although Johnson started slowly, he was in charge of the bout throughout. It appeared that the champion from Philadelphia could have ended the fight at any time after the third round. There were no knockdowns in the fight although Johnson had Merrill helplessly pinned against the ropes in the fifth round.