Johnsons ring return delayedKirk Johnsons long absence from the boxing ring will last a little longer. The 36-year-old former top heavyweight contender from North Preston expected to be at a weigh-in in Norfolk, Va., on Friday to be part of a pro card tonight, ending a near three-year absence against New Englands Dan Sheehan. But Johnson remained at his residence in Texas on Friday after his camp could get no particulars from the shows promoter, Triple Mac Promotions of Virginia, after repeated attempts. Johnson said his lawyer and professional adviser, Chicagos John Hornewer, told him late Thursday, the forecast for fighting today looked bleak. Johnson signed to fight Sheehan more than a month ago, but his camp has had little direct contact with the promoter since. He said he never got a flight itinerary or an agenda for the weekend and wasnt even sure if the card was still taking place. "I had my bags packed just in case they called this morning," said Johnson. "(Trainer) Curtis (Cokes) had his bags packed. But Ill take a few days off and get back at it." He said hes grown accustomed to "bumps in the road" and hopes to fight next month on the way to a busy comeback. Johnson is 36-2-1 with a no-contest. The no-contest came in his last fight in 2006 against Javier Mora after the two became entangled and Johnson slipped, dislocating his knee and tearing ligaments. Sheehan was seen as a tune-up opponent with an 11-36 record. A message left for Triple Mac Promotions this week was not returned. http://thechronicleherald.ca/Sports/1105113.html HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN??
Johnson might as well retire if he can't even get hooked up with real Boxing promoters anymore. This is embarrassing more than anything.
Fight News has an article about it too. It says they were informed at 5:15 PM that they didn't have the right license for fire marshall codes, and the cities office had closed at 5:00 PM. that sounds like the work of a rival promoter, making calls at the "convenient" time, if ya' know what I mean?
You still think Kirk's promoter would be in contact!!I doubt you will even see Kirk fight for this guy now :nut
Is he even Kirk's promoter, or is this a one- or two-fight deal to get Kirk Johnson some exposure ahead of some bigger fights?? I thought I heard that he had a good relationship with Goossen. Kirk is better than half the Goossen stable; it seems like a good fit.
Here is a link to the story of the fight being canceled: http://www.fightnews.com/?p=3443 From the link: Fire Marshall KOs fight card! An unfortunate situation has unfolded in Norfolk, Virginia, as promotional firm Triple Mac Promotions was informed by city officials yesterday at 5:15 pm that fire regulations would prevent their “Night of Champions” show from happening tonight. “We did everything we could to make this another fantastic show, but the people at the Norfolk Masonic Temple didn’t have the proper permits to host the shows they’re hosting,” said Triple Mac chief Freddie Mac. “We got an email late yesterday (Friday) from the Fire Marshall saying the venue didn’t have the right licenses. And because it was so late in the day on Friday, we were in a position where we couldn’t get a permit, the city was closed, and we couldn’t move to another venue.” The card has been rescheduled to February 21. All tickets purchased for tonight’s postponed show will be honored on February 21 or fully refunded.