Kevin Johnson has shared the ring with a who’s who of heavyweight greats during his 20-year stint in professional boxing.
The American veteran started out as a contender, building up a respectable 22-0-1 record in his first six years in the paid ranks before landing a WBC title shot against Vitali Klitschko in 2009.
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He lost the fight via unanimous decision, and after falling to a second defeat against Tor Hamer in the Prizefighter 25: heavyweight final, his career took an entirely different route.
In the preceding years, Johnson established himself as one of the most recognisable journeymen in boxing, sharing the ring with the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Andy Ruiz Jr, to name a few.
He has since lost 20 out of his last 29 fights and currently holds a 36-22-2 record.
Yet his durability and defensive craft mean only three men have been able to stop him at the time of writing (Joshua, Petar Milas and Martin Bakole).
Given that he wasn’t able to withstand the punishment of the aforementioned trio, the expectation is that one of them would be considered the hardest hitter he has ever faced.
However, when the question was posed to him by Russian newspaper Sport Express, Johnson picked an opponent he actually beat.
“Alex Leapai from Australia,” he replied. “Alex Leapai is the physically strongest boxer I have ever met in my life.
“Not only in a fight – I went back to Australia later, lived there for a while, and we sparred together every day. He is powerful.”
In an interview with iFL TV a few years prior, Johnson also said of the Samoan slugger: “The worst punch I ever felt was Alex Leapai.
“And I s*** you not it was harder than Vitali’s.”
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Videos of their fight, which took place in Australia in 2012, are scarce, but we do know that Johnson won the bout via ninth-round TKO.
Following the crushing defeat, Leapai ended up fighting Wladimir Klitschko a couple of years later for the WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight titles.
But he proved to be no match for Klitschko as he was blown out in the fifth round.
Leapai was never the most subtle fighter, although he possessed plenty of punching power, with 26 of his 32 wins coming via knockout.
He eventually hung up his gloves in 2019 with a 32-8-4 record, following a 10th-round stoppage loss to Joseph Parker.
His son, Alex Leapai Jr, has since followed in his father’s footsteps by turning over as a professional.
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The 19-year-old prospect holds a pro record of 4-0-1 with three knockout wins to his name.
He drew his last fight with debutant Tim Tusa, but is looking to get back on the winning track when he returns to the ring on July 16 in Sydney.
