Seeing Red: Johnson wins important first title
Sheffield has a new boxing champion and he is following in some pretty impressive footsteps.
Intake's Red Johnson outpointed reigning Central Area champion Ryszard Lewicki, to take his crown and move on to a shot at the English super middleweight title.
Johnson, aged 28, had gone into the ring at Hull on Saturday with the eventual objective of winning elite titles like current Ingle gymmates Kell Brook and Kid Galahad.
And the pathway is starting to open up after ten hard fought rounds in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
His performance had been "fantastic" said promoter Curtis Woodhouse.
And there was more recognition from the likes of Kell Brook, Taz Nadeem, Atif Shafiq and of course his boxing sister Bianca Johnson.
Thirty years ago Clinton Woods had won the regional Super Middleweight title at Stannington's Pinegrove Country Club, beating Bradford's Craig Joseph over the same distance.
Clinton went on to become world champion, as did Doncaster's Maxi Hughes, another Central Area winner.
Minutes after Saturday's win, Johnson said it was an honour to replicate Woods' Area title victory, in particular, saying he grew up in the same gym adding: "It means so much."
Fighting back the emotions, Red said it had been a hard year but he was "over the moon" after sticking to the Ingle game plan.
Trainer Dom Ingle admitted super-tough Lewicki, who has previously sparred Brook, gave his man a hard time for the opening rounds and he had to scream at his man because "he was letting it slide."
However, Red came on stronger and "dug in" absorbing some big shots, he said.
"I expected him to do better from what I've seen in training, but now he knows what it's like to do 10 round in a tight fight. He is never going to forget that" said Ingle.
We can finally now say, for the first time in his career, that he is better than his sister!"
Other South Yorkshire warriors to win the belt include Callum Simpson, Josh Wale, Jimmy Joe Flint, Dave Coldwell, Andrew Facey, Muheeb Fazeldin, Gavin McDonnell, Robbie Barrett and Lee Appleyard.
So Red, after 11 professional fights and as many victories, is in good company and deserves his moment in the sun.
Nothing comes easy in boxing and Johnson had to work hard against Lewicki, 29, who is a Rochdale-based now but is a former Sheffield City Boxing club member and Meadowhead resident.
He won the Area title back in July 2025 and is a former English title contender.
At the end of their duel at Connexin Live, and as referee Michael Alexander's score was being released, Lewicki had his right hand raised ready for acclaim.
But it was Johnson who sank to his knees in joy and relief to celebrate his first title, by a margin of 97-94.
Now the opportunity arrives for Red to make his way further up the domestic rankings in a hot division.
He'll have his eyes on defeating Romford's undefeated Jimmy Sains, the current English super-middleweight champion.