John, Chris (1979-…), an Indonesian boxer , held the World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight title for more than 10 years. His reign as champion from 2003 to 2013 was the second longest in the history of the division. John successfully defended his championship 18 times, one short of the record. During his years as champion, John became a national sports hero.
The right-handed John won the featherweight title by defeating Oscar Leon of Colombia on Sept. 26, 2003. His title defenses included 15 victories and 3 draws. John lost the title to Simpiwe Vetyeka of South Africa on Dec. 6, 2013. It was John’s first defeat as a professional boxer. On Dec. 19, 2013, John announced his retirement from boxing. His career record included 48 wins (22 by knockout), 1 loss, and 3 draws.
Yohannes Christian John was born on Sept. 14, 1979, in Banjarnegara, Indonesia . He began boxing at the age of 6 under the guidance of his father, a former amateur boxer. However, before he began his boxing career, John was a member of the Indonesian national wushu team. Wushu is a form of Chinese martial arts . In 1997, John won the gold medal in wushu in the Southeast Asian Games. John became a professional boxer in 1998. He gave himself the nickname of “The Dragon” in February 2006.
