| Stevie Johnston | |
| Realname: | Steven Earl Johnston |
| Nickname: | Lil' But Bad |
| Weight: | |
| Height: | 5 ft 4+1/2 in |
| Reach: | 68+1/2 in |
| Nationality: | American |
| Birth Date: | September 28, 1972 |
| Birth Place: | Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Style: | Southpaw |
| Total: | 49 |
| Wins: | 42 |
| Ko: | 18 |
| Losses: | 6 |
| Draws: | 1 |
Steven Earl Johnston (born September 28, 1972), best known as Stevie Johnston, is an American professional boxer and a two-time former WBC lightweight champion.
Johnston had a storied amateur career, compiling an amateur record of 260–13. Some of his highlights include:
Known as "Lil' But Bad", Johnston turned pro in 1993 and fought for the WBC Lightweight Title against Jean Baptiste Mendy in 1997, winning a close split decision. Johnston defended the title three times before losing the belt to Cesar Bazan in 1998 in a close decision. In 1999 he won a rematch against Bazan in another close decision. He defended the title four times, including a victory over Angel Manfredy, but lost the belt in a loss to José Luis Castillo in 2000 via majority decision. The loss was declared the 2000 Upset of the Year by Ring Magazine, as Castillo was relatively unknown at the time and Johnston was thought to be over the hill.[1] It wasn't until a couple years later that the world would know how good of a fighter Castillo was. Later that year, in an attempt to regain the belt, Johnston rematched Castillo. In a bizarre ending, Johnston was originally declared the winner by Majority decision. Several minutes later it was discovered that Judge Ken Morita's scorecard (originally 115-114 Johnston) had been added incorrectly and should have read 114-114, thus making the bout a draw and allowing Castillo to retain his title.[2] This was to be Johnston's last shot at a major title.
He lost his next big fight, a WBC Lightweight Title Eliminator in 2003 to contender Juan Lazcano, a stunning 11th-round TKO loss. Prior to the loss, the durable Johnston had never been stopped. After the loss, Johnston was inactive for more than two years due to injuries suffered in a car accident later that year. "I'm lucky to be alive, never mind fighting," Stevie explained. "I went through the windshield, woke up in the hospital, and ended-up with more than 100-stitches in my face." Johnston came back in 2005 and in 2006 took on former 140 lbs WBA world title holder Vivian Harris and was dominated. Johnston was down twice in the 1st round and once in rounds 4 and 7, losing in a 7th-round TKO. In 2007 he was stopped by Rolando Reyes.
In 2008, Johnston suffered another defeat by way of KO at the hands of a taller and younger Edner Cherry. A left jab followed immediately by a right cross which landed squarely on Johnston's chin and knocked him down with only 30 seconds left in the 10th and final round. Making matters worse, Johnston slammed the back of his head against the canvas on the way down, and was unconscious for several minutes after the count.[3]
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | Loss | 42–6–1 | Edner Cherry | KO | 10 (10) | May 21, 2008 | |||
| 48 | Win | 42–5–1 | Dairo Esalas | RTD | 10 | Mar 29, 2008 | |||
| 47 | Loss | 41–5–1 | Rolando Reyes | RTD | 10 (12) | Oct 12, 2007 | |||
| 46 | Win | 41–4–1 | Humberto Toledo | UD | 12 | May 18, 2007 | |||
| 45 | Win | 40–4–1 | Tyron Harris | MD | 12 | Jan 26, 2007 | |||
| 44 | Loss | 39–4–1 | Vivian Harris | TKO | 7 (10) | Jul 29, 2006 | |||
| 43 | Win | 39–3–1 | Roberto Ortega | TKO | 5 (8) | Mar 31, 2006 | |||
| 42 | Win | 38–3–1 | Steve Quinonez | UD | 12 | Jan 27, 2006 | |||
| 41 | Win | 37–3–1 | Volodymyr Khodakovskyy | UD | 10 | Dec 3, 2005 | |||
| 40 | Win | 36–3–1 | James Crayton | UD | 8 | Oct 15, 2005 | |||
| 39 | Loss | 35–3–1 | Juan Lazcano | TKO | 11 (12) | Sep 13, 2003 | |||
| 38 | Win | 35–2–1 | Ever Beleno | KO | 6 (12) | Feb 21, 2003 | |||
| 37 | Win | 34–2–1 | Alejandro González | MD | 12 | Apr 20, 2002 | |||
| 36 | Win | 33–2–1 | Bradley Jensen | TKO | 6 (10) | Sep 23, 2001 | |||
| 35 | Win | 32–2–1 | James Crayton | TD | 9 (10) | Jun 1, 2001 | |||
| 34 | Win | 31–2–1 | Pedro Garcia | UD | 8 | May 18, 2001 | |||
| 33 | Draw | 30–2–1 | José Luis Castillo | MD | 12 | Sep 15, 2000 | |||
| 32 | Loss | 30–2 | José Luis Castillo | MD | 12 | Jun 17, 2000 | |||
| 31 | Win | 30–1 | Julio Alvarez | TKO | 2 (12) | Mar 17, 2000 | |||
| 30 | Win | 29–1 | Billy Schwer | UD | 12 | Nov 29, 1999 | |||
| 29 | Win | 28–1 | Angel Manfredy | UD | 12 | Aug 14, 1999 | |||
| 28 | Win | 27–1 | Aldo Nazareno Rios | UD | 12 | Jun 26, 1999 | |||
| 27 | Win | 26–1 | César Bazán | SD | 12 | Feb 27, 1999 | |||
| 26 | Win | 25–1 | Demetrio Ceballos | TKO | 6 (10) | Nov 20, 1998 | |||
| 25 | Loss | 24–1 | César Bazán | SD | 12 | Jun 13, 1998 | |||
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | George Scott | UD | 12 | Feb 28, 1998 | |||
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Saul Duran | UD | 12 | Sep 12, 1997 | |||
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Hiroyuki Sakamoto | SD | 12 | Jul 26, 1997 | |||
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Jean Baptiste Mendy | SD | 12 | Mar 1, 1997 | |||
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Jose Luis Baltazar | UD | 10 | Jan 18, 1997 | |||
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Julian Romero | TKO | 2 (10) | May 31, 1996 | |||
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Mark Fernandez | UD | 12 | Feb 18, 1996 | |||
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Jesus Rodriguez | TKO | 10 (12) | Dec 1, 1995 | |||
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Paquito Openo | KO | 7 (12) | Aug 18, 1995 | |||
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Howard Grant | TKO | 9 (12) | May 2, 1995 | |||
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Corey Johnson | KO | 8 (10) | Mar 21, 1995 | |||
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Fred Valera | PTS | 10 | Dec 16, 1994 | |||
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Sharmba Mitchell | TKO | 9 (10) | Jun 21, 1994 | |||
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Raymond Flores | PTS | 10 | May 27, 1994 | |||
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | John Jeter | PTS | 6 | Apr 23, 1994 | |||
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Merle Muniz | TKO | 2 (?) | Apr 15, 1994 | |||
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Enrique Ursua | TKO | 4 (6) | Mar 30, 1994 | |||
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | John Bryant | PTS | 6 | Feb 15, 1994 | |||
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Chris Wall | TKO | 2 (?) | Jan 15, 1994 | |||
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | James Page | MD | 8 | Oct 22, 1993 | |||
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Jay Strickland | KO | 1 (?) | Jul 2, 1993 | |||
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Nasredin Bilam | KO | 2 (6) | May 4, 1993 | |||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Scott Williams | KO | 1 (?) | Apr 17, 1993 | |||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Frank Cordova | TKO | 3 (4) | Feb 16, 1993 |
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