ALONZO JOHNSON/CASSIUS CLAY
Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY
July 22, 1961
Clay won a 10-round unanimous decision
About Alonzo Johnson
Born November 6, 1934 in Aberdeen, MS
Currently resides in Rankin, PA
Career record: 22 wins (6 KO), 19 defeats (5 KO
Johnson was the 1956 New York Golden Gloves Lightweight Tournament winner and the Light Heavyweight Intercity Golden Gloves Champion, as well. He was the first nationally ranked boxer to meet Clay in the ring. Clay was barely out of the amateur ranks when he fought Johnson, but he was already getting attention for both his brash personality and his skills in the ring. The Clay/Johnson match would be the first time a boxer, as new to the pro circuit as Clay would be, was shown on national TV. It was a hot summer night, made even more so by TV lights, but both fighters went the distance before Clay won a unanimous decision.