The ESB British Forum Encyclopedia

I was considering doing Rubin Carter but I realised it might involve actually watching more than just the Griffith fight.

 

Name: Pick Johnson

Record: 4-1-2 (2KO's)

Weight: Light-Heavyweight

DOB: Unknown

Career span: 1940-1941

Pick Johnson is a name I would expect no boxing fan to know. He was just a one-time prospect in the long-gone 1940's, a local fan favorite of Portsmouth, Ohio.

Now, Johnson was a superb amateur boxer, regarded in Portsmouth as one of the best around. He was a stylish Light-Heavyweight boxer who fans supported in droves in his native Portsmouth. From reports to me he appears to have been a classy stand-up boxer who, when faced with traditional skills excelled, but when faced with some unorthodoxy he struggled. He was never a National champion in America but locally there were few better, with Ezzard Charles a weight below being a big rival (although they never fought), on the national scene the Light-Hevayweight champion was Jimmy Reeves (who you may remember from the start of Raging Bull), who was a very good boxer.

As a professional, Pick lost his first bout to the experienced Charley Banks, who's aggression and experience let him triumph on points over 8, but Johnson was complimented on his guts in the press. He won a few more until drawing with the decent Slaka Covrich, then Pick joined the army and his boxing career ended.

Not a lot is known of Pick Johnson, this is a bout it. But hopefully in the near future I'll uncover some more.

If you guys want to read some for yourself, there is quite a lot of info on him, in Google News Archive, as the local paper, The Portsmouth Times chronicled him extensively.

 

it would be good if u could uncover more about his trial and prison life aswell

 

From what I read about his trial, it seems that the film is mostly bollocks. There is no indication that the jury's were racist as it shows in the film. The Canadians didn't find any new evidence either. After reading up on it I came to the conclusion that it was most likely he did commit the crime but in the final appeal they saw that he had served 20 years and it would have been pretty costly to take it to another full appeal. He was actually never acquitted, just released.

 

yea, they found bullets matching the 2 guns used in the murders, which aint been used yet in the back seat of his car.

Good film tho. love the song aswell, got it as my message tone:yep

 

I think Joey Giardello also got an apology out of the film makers.

 

Yeah it's a good film, just very misleading. Song is quality too.

 

I might tackle top 25 P4P and ATG Welter Luis Manuel Rodriguez tomorrow. Amazing fighter.

 

Quality, he is one of my favrouites.

 

Doesn't seem to get the recognition he deserves for some reason.

 

My new favourite poster. Great work.

 

:good No worries mucker.

 

is it one each ?
i'm reading about gunboat smith in a book at the minute

 

I've done a few Doug, it's a free-for-all I think. Good choice as well :good :good :good