John Lester Johnson
BORN August 13 1893; Suffolk, Virgina (Some sources report 1895; Death Certificate states South Carolina) DIED March 27 1968; West Los Angeles, California HEIGHT 5-11 1/2 WEIGHT 170-184 lbs MANAGER James McMahan Johnson was a capable fighter who was best known for his desperate fight with the young Jack Dempsey in 1916; Although he went up against many of the top fighters of his day, he was never able to match up consistently on that level
During his career, Johnson defeated such men as "Big" Bill Tate, Kid Norfolk, James "Tut" Jackson, Battling Gahee, "Rough House" Ware, "Captain" Bob Roper, George Cook, "Tiny" Jim Herman, "Long" Tom Hawkins and "Chief" John Metoquah
Johnson went to Hollywood, Ca after his boxing career ended and found work in the movies; He married the former Lulu Dill, who survived him; Johnson is interred at the Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles1913 Jun 2 George Robinson New York, NY ND 10 Jul 22 Joe Jeannette New York, NY ND 10 Aug 5 Bob Lee New York, NY KO 3 Aug 23 Bill Watkins New York, NY ND 10 Sep 9 Sam Langford New York, NY LK 1 Oct 11 Bill Watkins Staten Island, NY ND 10 Dec 11 Bob Lee New York, NY KO 3 Dec 26 George Robinson New York, NY ND 10 1914 Apr Willie Langford New York, NY KO 1 Apr 13 Willie Langford New York, NY ND 10 Jun 13 Bob Lee Bronx, NY KO 1 Sep 7 Ed "Kid" Butts New York, NY TK 2 Dec 4 Gunboat Washington New York, NY KO 2 Dec 15 Silas Green New York, NY ND 6 Dec 28 "Big" Bill Tate Brooklyn, NY ND 10 1915 Jan 11 Joe Jeannette New York, NY ND 10 -Some sources report 1/12/15 at "Brooklyn, NY" Jan 25 "Big" Bill Tate New York, NY ND 10 Feb 27 Dave Mills Havana, Cu KO 10 -Some sources report "KO 9" Mar 31 Anastasio Penalver Havana, Cuba KO 3 -Penalver threatened Johnson with a brick after the bout and was arrested by police Apr 23 Dave Mills Havana, Cu W 10 Jun 25 John Budinich Havana, Cu KO 1 -Some sources report "KO 4" Jul 6 Anastasio Penalver Havana, Cu KO 1 Aug 17 "Steamboat" Bill Scott Havana, Cu LF 8 1916 Jan 21 "Big" Bill Tate Brooklyn, NY WF 9 -Some sources report 1/15/16; Some sources report 1/24/16 Feb 4 Cleve Hawkins New York, NY ND 10 Apr 7 Harry Wills New York, NY ND 10 Jul 14 Jack Dempsey New York, NY ND 10 Sep 9 Charles "Sailor" Grande New York, NY ND 10 Sep 15 Charles "Sailor" Grande Rockaway Beach, NY ND 10 Sep 21 Jack Herrick New York, NY ND 10 Oct 2 Jack Keating Brooklyn, NY TK 5 -Some sources report "New York, NY" Oct 27 Jim Savage New York, NY KO 2 -Some sources report 10/28/16 Nov 17 Dan "Porky" Flynn New York, NY ND 10 Dec 22 Charles "Sailor" Grande Brooklyn, NY ND 10 1919 Apr 4 Jack Dempsey Schenectady, NY EX 4 Jun 10 Harry Wills Jersey City, NJ ND 8 -Some sources report "LT 3" Oct 3 Kid Norfolk Baltimore, Md L 15 1920 Feb 3 Fred Fulton Boston, Ma LK 8 Jun 7 Kid Norfolk Rochester, NY WF 3 -Some sources report "KO 3" Jun 14 Kid Norfolk Rochester, NY LK 1 -Some sources report "Baltimore, Md" Oct 9 "Battling" Jim McCreary Boston, Ma L 10 1913-1921 Jack Thompson LK 3 1921 Jan 11 "Battling" Jim McCreary Boston, Ma LF 8 -Some sources report "LF 7" Feb 2 Kid Norfolk Detroit, Mi ND 10 Oct 20 "Rough House" Ware Brooklyn, NY KO 3 1919-1922 Ted Jamieson Boston, Ma L 10 1922 Clem Johnson LK May 24 "Mexican" Joe Lawson Youngstown, Oh KO 4 Jun 2 Kid Norfolk Covington, Ky ND 12 Sep 22 Silent Puryear Philadelphia, Pa LF 2 Nov 16 Jamaica Kid New York, NY L 12 -Some sources report 12/05/22 Dec 26 Ray Bennett New York, NY W 12 -Some sources report "W 10" 1923 Jul 24 James "Tut" Jackson Youngstown, Oh KO 4 Sep 11 Battling Davenport Covington, Ky KO 4 1924 Battling Gahee L 10 Aug 11 Battling Gahee Youngstown, Oh KO 11 -Some sources report "KO 9"; Some sources report the previous 2 bouts held during 1923 1925 Oct 10 Carl Carter New York, NY SCH -This bout was scheduled but not held Oct 10 Ray Bennett New York, NY KO 2 -Johnson was scheduled to fight Carter; Bennett took Carter's place; Some sources report "KO 1" 1926 Jan 27 Sam Olson San Francisco, Ca W 10 Apr 6 "Captain" Bob Roper Vernon, Ca W 10 Apr 20 Tony Fuente Vernon, Ca LF 3 -Some sources report "L 8" Sep 27 George Cook Oakland, Ca D 10 -Some sources report 8/27/26 at "San Francisco, Ca Some sources report "Los Angeles, Ca" Oct 6 George Cook Oakland, Ca TK 7 Nov 30 Tony Fuente Fresno, Ca LF 4 -Some sources report 12/01/26 at "Los Angeles, Ca" 1927 Jan 3 "Tiny" Jim Herman Seattle, Wa W 6 -Some sources report 1/04/27 Jan 27 Ralph Smith Tacoma, Wa L 6 Apr 6 "Captain" Bob Roper Vernon, Ca W 10 May 13 Joe Hughes San Francisco, Ca KO 6 Sep 21 Roy Cliffe San Francisco, Ca KO 1 Dec 13 Benny Hill Modesto, Ca TK 4 1928 May 11 "Long" Tom Hawkins San Diego, Ca W 10 May 22 Neil Clisby Los Angeles, Ca L 10 Aug 7 "Chief" John Metoquah Modesto, Ca W 10 Sep 20 "Long" Tom Hawkins Pasadena, Ca WF 4 Oct 9 Neil Clisby Los Angeles, Ca L 10 Nov Walter "Biff" Hoffman San Bernardino, Ca W 10 1929 May 22 Les Kennedy Wilmington, Ca L 10 -This bout probably was held during Mar-Jun 1929 ***** The Following Bouts Are Reported But Not Confirmed *** Undated Carl Kurtz KO 3 Gene Jones KO 4 Smoke Jones W 6 Yellow Johnson KO 6 George Watkins KO 5 George "Kid" Cotton KO 7 Charles Bradley KO 2 Tim Lange KO 2 Larry Williams KO 2 George "Kid" Ashe KO 2 German Oak KO 1 1912 Bartley Madden L 4 1915 Aug 30 Dave Mills New York, NY ND 10 *** The Following Bout Is Reported But Not For John Lester Johnson *** 1903 Mar 5 Sam Langford Boston, Ma D 6 -Langford fought "John Johnson"; He was not John Lester Johnson if "Lester" was born in 1893 or 1895; Some sources report "D 5"
Record courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization
