George Johnson (boxer)

George Raft "Scrap Iron" Johnson (December 15, 1938 – April 9, 2016) was an American heavyweight boxer whose career spanned the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Johnson fought many of the top fighters of his era, including George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, Ron Lyle, Duane Bobick, Joe Bugner,                                    Jerry Quarry, and Eddie Machen.

Whilst a journeyman fighter he was nonetheless notorious for being extremely durable. He could take vast amounts of punishment. George Foreman said he had the best chin of all his opponents. He retired in 1975 with a record of 22–27–5. He was inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.

Johnson was nicknamed "Scrap" by girls in his neighborhood in Oklahoma City when he was about seven years old, because he used a wheelbarrow to salvage machinery parts to earn money. By high school, his American football teammates tacked on the "iron."

In 1969, after putting together a string of wins, Johnson was defeated by Sonny Liston in Las Vegas after seven rounds. Johnson had been scheduled to get married at midnight after the fight, but pushed off the wedding to the next day to recover. Johnson later claimed "Liston hit me so hard, I married the wrong woman."

Professional boxing record

 * align="center" colspan=8|22 Wins (11 knockouts, 11 decisions), 27 Losses (12 knockouts, 15 decisions), 5 Draws
 * align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Result
 * align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record
 * align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent
 * align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type
 * align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Round
 * align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date
 * align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location
 * align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes
 * -align=center
 * Loss
 * 31–0
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Duane Bobick
 * RTD
 * 4
 * 13 Nov 1975
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Met Center, Bloomington, Minnesota
 * align=left|
 * Draw
 * 14–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Scott LeDoux
 * PTS
 * 10
 * 14 Aug 1975
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Saint Paul Civic Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
 * align=left|SD for LeDoux overturned due to crowd response.
 * Loss
 * 12–0
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Leroy Jones
 * PTS
 * 10
 * 18 Mar 1975
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Honolulu, Hawaii
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 49–7–4
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Jerry Quarry
 * UD
 * 10
 * 25 Feb 1975
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Hawaii International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 10–0
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Johnny Boudreaux
 * PTS
 * 10
 * 16 Sep 1974
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Houston, Texas
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 29–2
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Boone Kirkman
 * UD
 * 10
 * 23 Oct 1973
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, Washington
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 4–6–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Joe Tiger Harris
 * TKO
 * 3
 * 2 Jul 1973
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Las Vegas, Nevada
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * align=left|🇺🇸 John Robinson
 * KO
 * 2
 * 16 May 1973
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Las Vegas, Nevada
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 5–17–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Terry Sorrell
 * KO
 * 5
 * 25 Apr 1973
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Las Vegas, Nevada
 * align=left|Sorrell knocked out at 1:41 of the fifth round.
 * Win
 * 1–3
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Dave Sherman
 * TKO
 * 2
 * 11 Apr 1973
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Las Vegas, Nevada
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 12–0
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Ron Lyle
 * KO
 * 3
 * 25 Mar 1972
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Denver, Colorado
 * align=left|Johnson knocked out at 0:31 of the third round.
 * Loss
 * 26–9–6
 * align=left|🇩🇪 Juergen Blin
 * TKO
 * 2
 * 1 Oct 1971
 * align=left|🇩🇪 Hamburg, Germany
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 7–8
 * align=left|🇺🇸 MacArthur Swindell
 * PTS
 * 10
 * 30 Jun 1971
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 28–2
 * align=left|🇦🇺 Joe Bugner
 * PTS
 * 10
 * 3 Nov 1970
 * align=left| Royal Albert Hall, London, England
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 19–0
 * align=left|🇺🇸 George Foreman
 * TKO
 * 7
 * 16 May 1970
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California
 * align=left|Referee stopped the bout at 1:41 of the seventh round.
 * Loss
 * 34–4–4
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Jerry Quarry
 * UD
 * 10
 * 19 Mar 1970
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 47–3
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Sonny Liston
 * TKO
 * 7
 * 19 May 1969
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada
 * align=left|Referee stopped the bout at 2:55 of the seventh round.
 * Win
 * 13–5–1
 * align=left|🇨🇦 Bob Felstein
 * PTS
 * 10
 * 18 Feb 1969
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 3–13–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Alvin Tiger
 * TKO
 * 6
 * 2 Oct 1968
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 5–6–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Roy Wallace
 * UD
 * 10
 * 22 Aug 1968
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 8–5–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Ray White
 * UD
 * 10
 * 28 Nov 1967
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Community Concourse, San Diego, California
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 9–4–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Earl Averette
 * UD
 * 10
 * 26 Oct 1967
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 57–8–3
 * align=left|🇮🇹 Santo Amonti
 * TKO
 * 10
 * 2 Aug 1967
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Los Angeles Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|Referee stopped the bout at 1:19 of the tenth round.
 * Loss
 * 15–0
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Joe Frazier
 * UD
 * 10
 * 4 May 1967
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 25–3–4
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Otha Brown
 * TKO
 * 7
 * 15 Dec 1966
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|Referee stopped the bout at 0:59 of the seventh round.
 * Loss
 * 49–8–3
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Eddie Machen
 * UD
 * 10
 * 29 Sep 1966
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 6–6
 * align=left|🇩🇪 Emil Umek
 * UD
 * 10
 * 26 Jul 1966
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Stockyards Coliseum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 15–0–2
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Jerry Quarry
 * TKO
 * 2
 * 7 Apr 1966
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|Referee stopped the bout at 2:40 of the second round.
 * Draw
 * 11–8–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Chuck Leslie
 * PTS
 * 10
 * 6 Jan 1966
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|
 * Draw
 * 5–5–1
 * align=left|🇲🇽 Manuel Ramos
 * PTS
 * 10
 * 4 Nov 1965
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 9–2–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Jimmy Harryman
 * TKO
 * 10
 * 21 Oct 1965
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|Referee stopped the bout at 1:18 of the tenth round.
 * Loss
 * 12–1–2
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Elmer Rush
 * UD
 * 10
 * 27 Sep 1965
 * align=left|🇺🇸 The Hacienda, Paradise, Nevada
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 7–2–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Henry Clark
 * PTS
 * 10
 * 23 Sep 1965
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Kezar Pavilion, San Francisco, California
 * align=left|1-6.
 * Loss
 * 32–7–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Amos Lincoln
 * KO
 * 5
 * 5 Aug 1965
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
 * align=left|Johnson knocked out at 2:27 of the fifth round.
 * Win
 * 8–3–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Roy Rogers
 * TKO
 * 7
 * 22 Jun 1965
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Lubbock, Texas
 * align=left|Referee stopped the bout at 2:30 of the seventh round.
 * Loss
 * 7–1–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Roy "Cowboy" Rogers
 * UD
 * 10
 * 9 Nov 1964
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Dallas Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 19–2
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Thad Spencer
 * KO
 * 4
 * 4 Aug 1964
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Castaways Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 17–17–2
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Sonny "Policeman" Moore
 * PTS
 * 10
 * 25 May 1964
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Dallas Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 17–16–2
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Sonny Moore
 * SD
 * 10
 * 14 Apr 1964
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Lindsayland Auditorium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 * align=left|
 * Draw
 * 5–4–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 John L. Davey
 * PTS
 * 10
 * 7 Apr 1964
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Stockyards Coliseum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 0–2
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Roy Crear
 * SD
 * 10
 * 17 Mar 1964
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Lindsayland Auditorium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 0–8
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Leo Bennett
 * TKO
 * 2
 * 11 Feb 1964
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Stockyards Coliseum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 * align=left|
 * Draw
 * 35–10–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Buddy Turman
 * PTS
 * 10
 * 5 Nov 1962
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Tyler, Texas
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 14–14–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Ernie Cab
 * KO
 * 6
 * 25 Apr 1961
 * align=left|🇺🇸 City Auditorium, Houston, Texas
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 11–0
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Tod Herring
 * KO
 * 6
 * 7 Mar 1961
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Houston, Texas
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 34–10–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Donnie Fleeman
 * TKO
 * 7
 * 28 Nov 1960
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Dallas Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, Texas
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 0–3
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Leo "Zorro" Bennett
 * KO
 * 1
 * 15 Sep 1960
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Oklahoma City Municipal Auditorium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 * align=left|Bennett knocked out at 2:45 of the first round.
 * Loss
 * 13–4–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Floyd Joyner
 * PTS
 * 6
 * 31 Aug 1960
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Albuquerque Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 0–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Benny Lee Bowser
 * PTS
 * 6
 * 2 Aug 1960
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Port Arthur, Texas
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * align=left|Donny Blue
 * PTS
 * 6
 * 13 Jun 1960
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Wichita, Kansas
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 3–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Wayne Heath
 * PTS
 * 6
 * 12 Apr 1960
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Lindsayland Auditorium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 1–0
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Wayne Heath
 * PTS
 * 4
 * 24 Nov 1959
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Lindsayland Auditorium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 2–7
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Ted Hester
 * PTS
 * 4
 * 10 Nov 1959
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Lindsayland Auditorium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 11–16–2
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Johnny "J.C." Carroll
 * TKO
 * 2
 * 9 Jun 1958
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Tucson Sports Center, Tucson, Arizona
 * align=left|
 * }
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Albuquerque Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 0–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Benny Lee Bowser
 * PTS
 * 6
 * 2 Aug 1960
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Port Arthur, Texas
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * align=left|Donny Blue
 * PTS
 * 6
 * 13 Jun 1960
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Wichita, Kansas
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 3–1
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Wayne Heath
 * PTS
 * 6
 * 12 Apr 1960
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Lindsayland Auditorium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 1–0
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Wayne Heath
 * PTS
 * 4
 * 24 Nov 1959
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Lindsayland Auditorium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 * align=left|
 * Win
 * 2–7
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Ted Hester
 * PTS
 * 4
 * 10 Nov 1959
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Lindsayland Auditorium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 * align=left|
 * Loss
 * 11–16–2
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Johnny "J.C." Carroll
 * TKO
 * 2
 * 9 Jun 1958
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Tucson Sports Center, Tucson, Arizona
 * align=left|
 * }
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Johnny "J.C." Carroll
 * TKO
 * 2
 * 9 Jun 1958
 * align=left|🇺🇸 Tucson Sports Center, Tucson, Arizona
 * align=left|
 * }