East St. Louis native Arthur Anthony Johnson’s varied career has taken him from world champion boxer to contemporary gospel music artist.
Johnson’s remarkable story as an amateur boxer who competed for the United States in the 1988 Olympics and retired in his early twenties before mounting an incredible comeback as a professional boxer who would win three world titles is detailed in a documentary called “Greatest Comeback.” His story is also presented in a new album of the same name.
Cityscape guest host Jim Althoff spoke with Johnson about his boxing and music career.
Growing up in East St. Louis, “there were quite a few things we could do,” Johnson said. “Trouble was the easiest thing we could find and we did a lot of that.”
During his youth, two former boxers began a boxing club in the area to which Arthur Johnson became a part.
Johnson, who co-founded the Arthur Johnson Foundation along with his wife Latanya Johnson in 2001, are now working on raising funds for a boxing club which he hopes will benefit the community.
The organization is holding a fundraiser at the Four Points by Sheraton in Fairview Heights, Illinois on August 30.
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