Chris John (boxer)


Yohannes Christian "Chris" John is an Indonesian former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2013. He held the WBA featherweight title from 2004 to 2013, with his near decade-long reign being the second longest in the division's history. During his reign, John defended the title against 16 boxers, the second most in featherweight history.
John is the fourth Indonesian boxer to win a world title, following Ellyas Pical, Nico Thomas, and Muhammad Rachman. In 2013, John announced his retirement from boxing, following his only career defeat to Simpiwe Vetyeka.

Early life

Chris John was born as Yohannes Christian John in Banjarnegara, 14 September 1979, he is the second son of four siblings of Johan Tjahjadi who is of Chinese descent and Maria Warsini. Boxing has been a part of John's life since his childhood. John's father was a former amateur boxer in Indonesia. He introduced boxing to his sons, John and his younger brother Adrian, at an early age of 5. John's Father inspired him by regaling with stories of hard fought battles and triumphant victories. Given the choice to fight or pursue other sports, John chose boxing and became an amateur champion in Banjarnegara.
In 1997, Chris caught the attention of renowned boxing trainer, Sutan Rambing. Sutan recruited John into his gym and relocated John to Semarang, a city in central Java Indonesia. Sutan served as John's trainer till 2004 and soon after parted ways when John won his first major world title.

Professional career

John turned professional in 1997 and was known as "Thin Man" before he proclaimed his new nickname "The Dragon" that he now uses. In his first professional fight, John won by knockout, beating a local fighter Word Kanda. In his 6th bout, the reputation of Chris John rose when he knocked out the national featherweight Champion in a 12 rounds bout, Muhammad Afaridzi. John was knocked down twice in round one, but he managed to reverse the situation by knocking Alfaridzi in round 12.
According to Chris John, his nose was bleeding profusely resulting from a broken nose that occurred in the 1st round.
Following the win over Dae-Kyun Park, Chris captured the PABA Featherweight title from the. John was given the opportunity to fight hard-hitting Oscar León of Colombia for the WBA featherweight title on 26 September 2003 in Bali. john was The Ring's #8-ranked featherweight in the world, while Oscar was the #5-ranked featherweight in the world and #5 pound-for-pound. This was Oscar's second title fight in his career. His first, losing to then WBA featherweight champion Derrick Gainer in a twelve-round split-decision.
While both fighters were in their mid 20s, Oscar had several physical advantages over John: an inch in height and 5 inches in reach. John won by split decision in a 12-round match to win the WBA Featherweight title.

John vs. Rojas

After defeating Osamu Sato in Tokyo, Japan, John was given the opportunity to fight Jose Rojas of Venezuela in Tenggarong, East Kalimantan. The fight result was concluded as a technical draw because accidental head clash in round 4. John was deeply cut, and Rojas was slightly cut. Rojas entered as the challenger after Derrick Gainer refused to sign contract with the promoter.
In 2005, John split with trainer Sutan Rambing prior to Derrick Gainer Fight. Preparing for this bout Chris joined Harry's Gym in Perth, Australia, where he is currently trained and managed by Craig Christian.
Five months after the fight with Oscar, Chris went on to defend his WBA title to former champion Derrick Gainer. Heading to the bout, Derrick was favourite to take the title he lost 2 years ago to Lineal Champion Juan Manuel Marquez. It was considered to be an important fight for both men.
Despite scoring a first round knockdown, Derrick Gainer's attempt to once again win a world featherweight title failed at the Britama Arena Sport Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia. John won the match decisively by 12 round unanimous decision.

John vs. Márquez

In the year of 2006, quadruple champion Juan Manuel Márquez challenged Chris for his WBA featherweight championship. Coming into the bout, Marquez fought to a draw against Manny Pacquiao.
John won by Unanimous Decision over 12 rounds. Marquez and his team disputed the decision, although all three judges scored in favour of John.
In 2012, following Marquez's upset win over Pacquiao, Chris John called him out for a second bout to be staged in Singapore or Macau in a neutral ground. "I am a much better boxer than him and I have more speed and skill," said John. "I will fight Marquez at any weight because it is a big money fight," John, told the Straits Times. Australian promoter Angelo Hyder said he would propose a fight at lightweight, meaning the Mexican would have to shed weight and John would have to gain about four kilograms. The bout never came to fruition.

John vs. Enoki

Prior to this bout, both fighters were undefeated, John standing at 41-0 and Enoki at 27-0. This was Hiroyuki Enoki first shot at a world title. A lot of hype was built up coming into the fight due to the history of world war two as Indonesia was a colony of Japan.
This fight was staged in a sold out korakuen hall in Tokyo, Japan. John took control from the outset and won unanimously by scores of 118-110, 118-110 and 117-111. This marked John's 10th world title defense.

John vs. Juarez

Following Enoki Fight, Chris called out Perennial contender Rocky Juarez. In an interview with Secondsout, John said, "I want all boxing fans to be able to see me in the ring. I just want to fight the best fighters in the world and by going to the United States, I can fight the best. I watched Rocky Juarez’ last fight with Jorge Barrios. Juarez would be a good fight for me. I am ready for him and anyone else at featherweight or super featherweight.
On February 28, 2009, the title fight materialize with Rocky Juarez in Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, which served as the main undercard for Juan Manuel Márquez vs. Juan Díaz. This was the first time he had fought on American soil. The fight was a unanimous draw after 12 competitive rounds, with all three judges scoring it 114-114.
The fight was listed in Ring Magazines 20 Biggest Robberies in the last 20 years.

John vs. Juarez II

The long-awaited rematch between Chris John and Rocky Juarez was staged in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, as part of the undercard to Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Márquez. John entered as the # 1 featherweight in the world according to The Ring Magazine. Juarez, a 2.1-1 underdog, came in as the # 4 featherweight. The bout, originally scheduled for June 27, was delayed due to a blood issue with Chris John. John had been reportedly feeling ill and fainted in training following a three-round sparring session. Tests two weeks later, however, showed no irregularities.
The rematch, the fight was one sided with John retaining his WBA title via 119-109, 117-111, 114-113, 12 round unanimous decision.

John vs. Yordan

Fellow Indonesian and leading contender Daud Yordan was next in line to fight John. The event was held in Jakarta International Expo, Kemayoran Central Jakarta on 17 April 2011.
Chris John won a unanimous decision over his challenger by scores of 117-112, 116-112, and 116-112.

John vs. Kimura

John defended his title for the 16th time on May 5, 2012, by defeating Japanese Shoji Kimura by unanimous decision. This marked his first win in Singapore and first out of his five fights contract in Marina Bay Sands.

John vs. Piriyapinyo

was the second undefeated fighter to challenge John's featherweight title. This served as his second bout in Marina Bay Sands. Billed as the "Battle of the Undefeated'. Coming into the fight, the thai fighter was ranked 6th in the featherweight division.
Chris John successfully defended his WBA featherweight title for the 17th time on Friday in Singapore, as the Indonesian Pride beat Thailand's Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo on unanimous decision scores of 117-111, 119-109, and 119-109."
In the Post fight interview, Chris John called out fellow champions Daniel Ponce de León, Billy Dib and Orlando Salido from other associations for a unification bout for the featherweight belt.

John vs. Hosono

Satoshi Hosono, rated 7th by WBA in the featherweight division, became John's 6th challenger from Japan. Fighting on April 14, 2013 at the Indoor Tennis Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia, John suffered severe bleeding from his temple and forehead due to the headbutt which happened in round 3 of 12. The fight was declared as a technical draw, and John retained his title.

John vs. Vetyeka

John lost the WBA Super World featherweight title to Simpiwe Vetyeka on December 6, 2013, when John retired on his stool after the sixth of twelve rounds. Vetyeka's IBO featherweight title was also on the line. It was John's first professional loss and brought his ten-year WBA title reign to an end. After this loss, John decided to retire from boxing. Announcing his retirement on RCTI Live with Trainer Craig Christian and management team of Yonathan Periatna and Tony Tolj and Angelo Hyder. Now he runs his personal business with his wife, becomes a TV commercial star, motivator, and sometimes appears on TV shows.

Trainers in boxing

John was named awarded the Fighter of the Decade for the 2000s by the WBA, in a ceremony which took place in Panama City on 29 February 2012. This award was previously held by Roy Jones Jr. for his achievements in the 1990s.
In addition to being a professional boxer, John is also a member of the national wushu team. His successful achievements as a wushu athlete include:
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
52Loss48–1–3 Simpiwe VetyekaRTD6, 3:00Dec 6, 2013 Metro City, Perth, AustraliaLost WBA featherweight title;
For IBO featherweight title
51Draw48–0–3 Satoshi HosonoTD3 Apr 14, 2013 Tennis Indoor Senayan, Jakarta, IndonesiaRetained WBA featherweight title;
Majority TD after John was cut from an accidental head clash
50Win48–0–2 Chonlatarn PiriyapinyoUD12Nov 9, 2012 Marina Bay Sands, SingaporeRetained WBA featherweight title
49Win47–0–2 Shoji KimuraUD12May 5, 2012 Marina Bay Sands, SingaporeRetained WBA featherweight title
48Win46–0–2 Stanyslav MerdovUD12Nov 30, 2011 Challenge Stadium, Perth, AustraliaRetained WBA featherweight title
47Win45–0–2 Daud YordanUD12Apr 17, 2011 International Expo, Jakarta, IndonesiaRetained WBA featherweight title
46Win44–0–2 David SaucedoUD12Dec 5, 2010 Tennis Indoor Senayan, Jakarta, IndonesiaRetained WBA featherweight title
45Win43–0–2 Rocky JuarezUD12Sep 19, 2009 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBA featherweight title
44Draw42–0–2 Rocky Juarez12Feb 28, 2009 Toyota Center, Houston, Texas, U.S.Retained WBA featherweight title
43Win42–0–1 Hiroyuki EnokiUD12Oct 24, 2008 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, JapanRetained WBA featherweight title
42Win41–0–1 Roinet CaballeroRTD7, 3:00Jan 26, 2008 Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, IndonesiaRetained WBA featherweight title
41Win40–0–1 Zaiki TakemotoRTD9, 3:00Aug 19, 2007 Fashion Mart, Kobe, JapanRetained WBA featherweight title
40Win39–0–1 Jose RojasUD12Mar 3, 2007 Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, IndonesiaRetained WBA featherweight title
39Win38–0–1 Renan AcostaUD12Sep 9, 2006 Soemantri Brodjonegoro Stadium, Jakarta, IndonesiaRetained WBA featherweight title
38Win37–0–1 Juan Manuel MárquezUD12Mar 4, 2006 Karang Melenu Sports Hall, Tenggarong, IndonesiaRetained WBA featherweight title
37Win36–0–1 Tommy BrowneTKO10, 0:01Aug 7, 2005 Panthers World of Entertainment, Penrith, AustraliaRetained WBA featherweight title
36Win35–0–1 Derrick GainerUD12Apr 22, 2005 The BritAma Arena, Jakarta, IndonesiaRetained WBA featherweight title
35Draw34–0–1 Jose Rojas4, 1:41Dec 3, 2004 Rondong Demang Stadium, Tenggarong, IndonesiaRetained WBA featherweight title;
Split TD after both boxers were cut from an accidental head clash
34Win34–0 Osamu SatoUD12Jun 4, 2004 Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, JapanRetained WBA featherweight title
33Win33–0 Oscar León12Sep 26, 2003 Bali, IndonesiaWon vacant WBA interim featherweight title
32Win32–0 Dae-Kyung ParkTKO1 Jul 3, 2003 Indosiar Studios, Jakarta, IndonesiaRetained PABA featherweight title
31Win31–0 Mahasamut KiatpakpanungKO3 Mar 29, 2003 Kendal, Indonesia
30Win30–0 Dante PaulinoKO8 Jan 10, 2003 Jakarta, IndonesiaRetained PABA featherweight title
29Win29–0 Ratanachai Sor VorapinUD10Nov 1, 2002 Semarang, Indonesia
28Win28–0 Sprinkaan KhongoaneUD10Aug 23, 2002 Indosiar Studios, Jakarta, Indonesia
27Win27–0 Dong-Kook LeeKO1 Jun 28, 2002 Jakarta, IndonesiaRetained PABA featherweight title
26Win26–0 Petcharoon Wor SurapolTIKO5 Mar 29, 2002 Bandung, IndonesiaRetained PABA featherweight title
25Win25–0 Kongthawat SorkittiTIKO8 Jan 11, 2002 Bandung, IndonesiaRetained PABA featherweight title
24Win24–0 Soleh Sundava6, 3:00Nov 9, 2001 Kaliwates Youth Arena, Jember, IndonesiaWon PABA featherweight title
23Win23–0 Kongthawat Sor KittiPTS10Jul 27, 2001 Karawang, Indonesia
22Win22–0 Fernando MontillaTKO7 Apr 4, 2001 Indosiar Studios, Jakarta, Indonesia
21Win21–0 Leed ShabuKO3 Mar 29, 2001 Bogor, IndonesiaRetained Indonesia featherweight title
20Win20–0 Vichit ChuwanataPTS10Dec 22, 2000 Jakarta, Indonesia
19Win19–0 Uygun SiddikovKO6 Sep 29, 2000 Jakarta, Indonesia
18Win18–0 Baby Lorona Jr.10Aug 24, 2000 Jakarta, Indonesia
17Win17–0 Khongsuriya SitkanongsakKO9 May 26, 2000 Jakarta, Indonesia
16Win16–0 Moses SeranKO3 May 5, 2000 Jakarta, IndonesiaWon vacant Indonesia Boxing Association featherweight title
15Win15–0 Joseph PadenKO2 Jan 28, 2000 Jakarta, Indonesia
14Win14–0 Vichit ChuwatanaKO2 Dec 23, 1999 Semarang, Indonesia
13Win13–0 Virgo WarouwPTS10Nov 19, 1999 Jakarta, Indonesia
12Win12–0 Muhammad AlfaridziKO12 Jun 6, 1999 Indosiar Studios, Jakarta, IndonesiaWon vacant Indonesia featherweight title
11Win11–0 Taji AtmojoPTS10Jun 6, 1999 Jakarta, Indonesia
10Win10–0 Hasan Lobubun1 Apr 2, 1999 Jakarta, Indonesia
9Win9–0 Hasan AmbonPTS10Mar 5, 1999 Jakarta, Indonesia
8Win8–0 Herry MakawimbangPTS10Feb 5, 1999 Jakarta, Indonesia
7Win7–0 Salim AyubaPTS10Dec 4, 1998 Jakarta, Indonesia
6Win6–0 Kris WuritimurPTS8Nov 6, 1998 Tangerang, Indonesia
5Win5–0 Ampi LealesiTIKO5 Oct 10, 1998 Tangerang, Indonesia
4Win4–0 Riston ManaluTKO3 Sep 5, 1998 RCTI Studios, Jakarta, Indonesia
3Win3–0 Guci Halim FidalPTS8Aug 5, 1998 Indosiar Studios, Jakarta, Indonesia
2Win2–0 Nurdin Pase2 Jul 6, 1998 Indosiar Studios, Jakarta, Indonesia
1Win1–0 Firman Kanda6Jun 4, 1998 Tangerang, Indonesia