Ringside Report Remembers Tough As Nails Johnny “World Class Pug” Lira

By Jeffrey “Italian Medallion” Cellini

Johnny “World Class Pug” Lira, 29-6-1, 16 KO’s was lightweight title contender from Chicago, Illinois in the late 70’s-early 80’s. As a professional, Lira went on to win the United States Boxing Association lightweight title by knocking out undefeated, Andrew Ganigan in the sixth round in August 1978. He was a classic boxer-brawler, described as a well-spoken and intelligent man, who is remembered for slugging it out with the best of them, including former WBA Lightweight champion Ernesto Espana.

The real story behind Johnny Lira was how he was able to turn his life around because of boxing. Johnny Lira started boxing at age eight at the Union League Boy’s Club. As an amateur, he fought in the Chicago Park District tournaments, the Catholic Youth Organization tournaments, and won the Illinois statewide AAU championship in 1974. Lira also won the Chicago Novice Golden Gloves championship at middleweight in 1974.

In an interview with producer Terry Spencer Hesser, who was doing a documentary on the fighter, Johnny talked about how he was able to straighten up his life because of boxing. “I had compiled a long arrest record from the time I was 8 or 9 years old, up until the time I was 19,” Lira said. “And the many judges I stood before had wanted to wash their hands with my life and they seen that I was gonna be going nowhere, and they were getting ready to lock me up and throw away the key.

“One (criminal court) judge, Marvin Aspen, took a chance. He said if I kept my life clean, he’d have a surprise for me. He turned the sentencing around and maintained as long I stayed into boxing and kept discipline and lived a clean lifestyle and continued to win my fights, he’d put me on a work release program. … I became the middleweight champion of the Golden Gloves in that year.”

Lira started his pro career in 1976, going undefeated in his first 18 professional bouts, with a majority of his fights coming against weak opposition in Las Vegas, Nevada. Johnny would often wear a left brace on his left knee due to having pellets embedded in it as a result of gang wars in his youth.

In his 17th professional fight, Johnny traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii, to face Ganigan for the USBA Lightweight title. In the first tough test of his career, Lira, utilizing a good jab, constant movement and strong right hand, stopped the defending champion.

On December 8,1978, Johnny went toe-to-toe with popular New York brawler Larry Stanton in a slugfest at the Madison Square Garden. In a battle of two former Golden Glove champions, both fighters fired up the crowd in the second round by exchanging big shots. Two big right hands to the jaw dropped Lira in the third and fourth rounds. However, Lira rebounded afterwards, and outboxed Stanton the rest of the way to take a unanimous decision.

After a technical knockout over Tom Tarantino in Chicago on April 27, 1978, Johnny had positioned himself for his world title opportunity.

On August 8,1979, in Chicago, Lira fought for the World Boxing Association Lightweight title and lost to then champion Ernesto Espana in his only world title opportunity. Before losing, Lira would knock Espana down to the canvas in the seventh round, but was unable to finish him off. Lira, who often left himself open to Espana’s counter punches, caught the champion with his own counter right midway through the round. In round eight, Lira would not only suffer a broken jaw but would also touch the canvas himself. In the closing moments of the round, Espana would nail Lira with two big right hands before knocking down the challenger with a left hook. Espana was able to open up a big cut over Lira’s right eye with a series of uppercuts in round nine. Espana, making his first title defense, would get the stoppage when the referee intervened after the ninth round and called a halt to the bout.

After the loss, Johnny would return home to Chicago and pick up some victories over mediocre opposition. After three straight wins, Lira would face former Olympic Gold Medalist Howard Davis, JR. in Las Vegas on December 6, 1980. Unable to deal with Davis’ quickness and reach advantage, Lira would suffer the second loss of his career by dropping a unanimous decision. Davis would wear Lira down in the later rounds by landing effective body shots and counter rights. The judges’ scorecards indicated a lopsided victory for Davis, JR. who would fail in his three attempts for the world title as well.

On March 24, 1981, Lira rebounded after the loss by winning a unanimous decision over Bobby Plegge in Chicago. However, just fifteen days later, Lira would lose to Nick Furlano by unanimous decision at the Paul Sauve Arena in Montreal (Quebec), Canada.

On August 18, 1981, Willie Rodriguez successfully defended his USBA Super Lightweight title against Johnny via technical knockout in Honolulu, Hawaii. Lira would return back to the continental states and pick up some good wins against Marion Thomas and Al Ford.

On July 2, 1982, Lira would lose a majority decision to Alfredo Escalera, the former WBC Super Featherweight champion, in Miami Beach, Florida. After the defeat, Johnny would once again return back to Chicago and pick up some victories.

On December 20,1983, Johnny Lira defeated Sammy Matos by technical knockout twenty-three seconds into the ninth round of a scheduled ten-round bout. This would be the last victory of Lira’s career.

Following a ten-round decision loss to Russell Mitchell in Illinois in 1984, Lira retired at the age of 34. He later underwent liver transplant surgery that helped save his life. Lira, who appeared to be in great shape after the ‘fight of his life’, taught amateur boxing to children at the Union League Boys and Girls Club, and made public appearances at boxing cards in the Chicago area. Johnny addressing the children, would talk about how he was able to turn around his life because of boxing. “I am a true testimony of what boxing can do as far as … taking a young man’s negative energy and turning it to a positive direction. I should either have been dead, in the penitentiary, or both. But here I am talking to you.”

Tragically, Lira died of liver disease at age 61 in his native Chicago, Illinois, on December 8, 2012. He was survived by his four children: daughters and his son.

RIP Johnny…

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