[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 118 (Friday, August 3, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1402]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING MARK JOHNSON

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                        the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 2, 2012

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing Mark Johnson, the first 
African-American in history to capture both a World Flyweight and Super 
Flyweight championship twice in his career. Also known as ``Too 
Sharp,'' Mr. Johnson was a top pound-for-pound fighter during his 
sixteen-year career from 1990 to 2006. He perfected finesse, power, and 
speed. Attesting to his athleticism, his perseverance, and his well-
developed skills, Johnson attained twenty-one knockouts before his 
matches made it to the fourth round.
  Mr. Johnson had more than execution; he had an array of intangibles 
that set him apart from the rest of his profession. In his pursuits, 
Mr. Johnson left his natural division to take a Super Flyweight title 
and then go on to challenge bantamweights. While Mr. Johnson did not 
reach significant popularity due to his weight class and lack of 
defining fights, he went on to become one of the top pound-for-pound 
fighters in boxing for several years.
  During his career, Mr. Johnson won forty-four professional boxing 
matches and lost only five. He had twenty-eight knockouts. During Mr. 
Johnson's amateur career, he won 125 boxing matches and lost only six. 
He won the first Junior World PentaContinental title in 1993. He held 
the International Boxing Federation Flyweight title from May 1996 to 
September 1998, the International Boxing Federation Super Flyweight 
title from April 1999 to November 1990, and the World Boxing 
Organization Junior Bantamweight title from August 2003 to September 
2004. Mr. Johnson was the first African-American in history to capture 
both a World Flyweight and Super Flyweight boxing championship, and he 
did that not once, but twice.
  Since 2008, after retiring from professional boxing in 2008, Mr. 
Johnson, along with his father and lifelong trainer, Abraham ``Ham'' 
Johnson, has been training underprivileged boys and girls in their gym 
located in Southeast Washington, D.C. Today, Mark Johnson is employed 
as a Roving Leader within the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, 
and in that capacity, he conducts home and school visits, and teaches 
at-risk children to read and write. He also is heavily involved in gang 
violence prevention. Mr. Johnson serves as a positive and accomplished 
role-model for troubled youth within the Washington, D.C. area.
  Mr. Speaker, on June 10, 2012, Mark ``Too Sharp'' Johnson was the 
first Boxer from Washington, D.C. to be inducted into the Boxing Hall 
of Fame, and, at 40 years old, he is the youngest ever to have received 
such an honor. ``I have known Mark since he was 6; he deserves it and 
he's the best bantamweight ever,'' former world-champion Sugar Ray 
Leonard said of Mark Johnson's induction into the Hall of Fame. I ask 
the House to join me in commending Mark Johnson for his outstanding 
accomplishments as a boxing champion and his ongoing commitment to the 
youth of the District of Columbia.

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