Johnny Nelson
| Johnny Nelson | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Ivanson Ranny Nelson[1] |
| Nickname(s) | The Entertainer |
| Rated at | Cruiserweight |
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Reach | 206 cm (81 in) |
| Nationality |  British |
| Born | January 4, 1967 Sheffield, England, UK |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 59 |
| Wins | 45 |
| Wins by KO | 29 |
| Losses | 12 |
| Draws | 2 |
| No contests | 0 |
Ivanson Ranny "Johnny" Nelson [1] (born 4 January 1967) is a former professional boxer from Sheffield, England. He was the WBO cruiserweight champion for over six years, having successfully defended the title 13 times. Nelson also held the European and British cruiserweight titles. His fight record was 45 wins (29 by knockout), 12 losses and two draws.
Nelson's 14th defence of his WBO cruiserweight title was scheduled to be against Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli on the undercard for the Joe Calzaghe versus Jeff Lacy WBO/IBF unification bout on 6 March 2006, but an injury picked up by Nelson forced the fight to be cancelled and Nelson announced his decision to retire from professional boxing a few months later on 22 September 2006.
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[edit] Childhood
Johnny's biological father and mother split up when he was a young boy. He didn't reunite with his father until Johnny was his in thirties. Recalling the incident, Johnny comments "My first real memory of my dad was when I was about three or four years old. I remember him and my mum in the street arguing, my dad had one of my hands and my mother held the other and his brown Ford Cortina was parked in the middle of the street.
"I was always curious about him when I was growing up. My wife knew that I always wanted to know more about my father, as there were a lot of gaps. Strangely her relatives knew of my dad because they were based in Huddersfield and knew of him from being in a dominoes team. She managed to get hold of him when I was in my mid-thirties.
"One day there was a knock at the door and as soon as I answered, I said, 'You're my dad, aren't you?' He said, 'Yeh' and he stepped in and that was it.
"He explained that he and my mum just didn't get on and that she was his girlfriend. We got in the car, we drove around Sheffield and he showed me where he used to live and play dominoes. It was really hard. He kept calling me son.
"But my dad to me was Benji, he is the only person I remember as a father figure, he was my mum's husband and my stepfather who took on six of my mum's kids. He was the guy I looked up to, so when my biological dad kept calling me son it felt like I was betraying my step dad Benji." [2]
[edit] After retirement
Nelson is now a pundit for Sky Television. Since retirement he has spent some time working with the prison service helping inmates with life management skills.[1] He's also played a role in some charity work, agreeing to fight a charity match against Jos Battle, a property developer and son of Leeds West MP, John Battle.[3]
[edit] Personal life
Nelson's parents split up when he was a young child and he didn't reunite with his biological father until he was in his thirties.[1] He still lives in Sheffield with his wife Debbie and daughters Bailey and India. He also has a daughter called Jorden from a previous relationship. He has published his autobiography Hard Road To Glory.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "Johnny Nelson isn't called Johnny". BBC South Yorkshire. http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/articles/2009/07/09/johnny_nelson_feature.shtml. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- ^ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/sheffield/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8170000/8170873.stm
- ^ Charity 'Battle' secures cash pot bbc.co.uk
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Johnny Nelson |
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Carl Thompson |
WBO Cruiserweight Champion 27 March 1999–22 September 2006 Retired |
Succeeded by Enzo Maccarinelli Interim Champ Elavated |
| Titles in pretence | ||
| Preceded by Dave Russell |
World Cruiserweight Champion WBF recognition 30 April 1993–1 October 1993 |
Succeeded by Franco Wanyana |
| Preceded by Jimmy Thunder |
World Heavyweight Champion WBF recognition 19 November 1993–22 August 1995 |
Succeeded by Adilson Rodrigues |
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