Justann Crawford facts for kids

Justann John Crawford (born July 24, 1973) is a retired Indigenous Australian Olympic boxer. He was a very successful boxer, winning 9 international gold medals. Justann proudly represented Australia at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, as well as the 1994 Commonwealth Games. He also won 9 Australian boxing titles, mostly in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.

Justann Crawford's boxing career ended early in 1998, when he was 25, due to an eye injury and some health concerns related to his brain. Even though his career was cut short, he was one of the first Indigenous Australians to compete in the Olympic Games.

His dedication to boxing was so strong that he was added to the Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame. This was to celebrate his many international wins while representing Australia as an Aboriginal athlete.

After he stopped boxing professionally, Crawford became a personal boxing trainer at Balmain Fitness, helping others learn the sport.

Early Life and Boxing Start

Justann Crawford was born and grew up in Tasmania, Australia. He went to Parklands High School in Burnie. He also studied at Cosgrove High School in Hobart and later focused on boxing at Elizabeth College.

Justann started boxing when he was 12 years old. His grandfather, Bobby Whelan, was also a boxer. Justann wanted to box to feel more confident and to learn how to defend himself, especially because he was often teased as a child. He tried to join a gym when he was 10, but he was too young.

When he was old enough, he joined the PCYC Gym with his friend Ross. Their coach, Ron Miles, taught them. Justann found the training very tough, especially when he had to spar with bigger boys. He even broke his nose when he was 13 after being knocked out by an older boxer. Even though he didn't always agree with the tough training methods, he felt it made him a stronger person.

Justann loved boxing so much that he would run from his high school to the Burnie PCYC Gym four or five times a week. He trained by himself some nights and with his coach on others. He also enjoyed watching videos of famous boxers like Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali.

After only two months of training, Crawford got the chance to compete. He made his official boxing debut on October 19, 1985, weighing about 38 kg. He lost his first few fights but soon started winning. He defeated Jason Baxter and Dean Parker, showing his growing skill.

After winning several fights, Justann started setting big goals for his boxing career. He believed in "the power of the mind" and would imagine himself achieving his goals. He felt that "the more you see it, the more you believe it, the more you achieve." This idea came from his mentor, Billy Barr, a professional squash player. Barr helped Justann train his mental strength, teaching him to push through when his body wanted to quit.

By age 14, Justann had won six out of ten fights. This included winning a State junior lightweight title and being chosen for national competitions in Sydney. He trained hard, even sparring with local champions to get ready for big tournaments. In August 1987, at 14, he even defeated a 16-year-old boxer who trained with a world champion.

Moving to Hobart

In 1988, when Justann was 14, his gym in Burnie decided to join a different boxing league. This new league meant that fighters couldn't compete in the Olympics.

To keep his Olympic dream alive, Justann's family decided to move to Hobart. This allowed him to stay with the Tasmanian Boxing Association, which was connected to the Olympic system.

By the time he was 17, Justann had competed in 33 boxing matches. He was a dual Australian junior champion, winning titles in Hobart in 1988 and Melbourne in 1989. Famous boxers like Jeff Harding and Johnny Lewis praised Justann, saying he had a very bright future. One of his fights in Hobart was even called the "Tasmanian fight of the year."

1992 Barcelona Olympics

Justann Crawford competed in his first Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, in 1992. He was in the Middleweight Division. He faced Aleksandr Lebzyak from the Unified Team but was defeated. The referee stopped both fights in the third round.

International Tournaments

Oceania Championship

In the 1993 Oceania Championship, Justann won against Greg Bell from New Zealand in the Light heavyweight Division.

In the 1997 Championship in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Justann lost a close fight to Regan Foley from Auckland.

In 1998, at the championship in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, Justann defeated Stephen McIver, with the referee stopping the fight.

King's Cup

In the 1993 King's Cup Championship in Khon Kaen, Thailand, Justann had a great run. On April 6, he competed in the Light Heavyweight Division. He defeated Young Deuk from Korea, then a Canadian competitor, and then Ong-Art Prasertsung from Thailand. In the finals on April 8, he defeated Pino Bahari from Indonesia to win the cup.

Mayors Cup

Justann also competed in the Mayor's Cup in Manila, Philippines. On December 8, he defeated Sung-You Chang from Korea in the semi-finals. He then went on to defeat Pino Bahari from Indonesia with a score of 17:4 points.

In 1998, Justann competed in the Mayor's Cup in Bacolod, Philippines. He defeated Marco Bangard from Mauritius in the quarterfinals. However, he was defeated by Ernesto Coronel from the Philippines in the semifinals.

World Ranking

In 1993, Justann Crawford was ranked second in the world for Light Heavyweight boxers. In 1995, he was ranked fifth internationally in the Middleweight Division.

1994 Commonwealth Games

The 1994 Commonwealth Games were held in Victoria, Canada. Justann Crawford was part of the Australian team, which included 256 athletes. He competed alongside two other boxers, James Swan and Robert Peden.

1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics took place in Atlanta, USA. Justann won his first fight with a score of 12:3 points. However, he lost his second fight when the referee stopped the contest, which meant an automatic loss.

End of Career

In 1998, Justann was chosen to be the team captain for the Australian national team for the Commonwealth Games. However, before the games, he had a fight in West Samoa where he was defeated. After this, the Institute of Sport asked him to take some special tests because they were concerned about his health and memory. Justann felt fine, but he agreed to take the tests.

He took the test, and while he showed some improvements on a second attempt, it wasn't enough for him to return to boxing. This meant his career as a boxer had to come to an end for health reasons.

Amateur Career

After retiring from professional boxing at age 25, Justann Crawford returned to the Tasmania Institute of Sport. He became a manager for the boxing team there. He even described one of his jobs as "holding a microphone in the middle of the ring" at events.

Later, Justann used his boxing skills to become a personal trainer at Balmain Fitness, helping others with their fitness goals.

Amateur Boxing Records

No.	Result	Date	Competition	Opponent	Win/Loss/Draw	Type	Age	Location
1	Loss	Jul 26, 1996	Olympic Games (Middleweight)	Alexander Lebziak	21/10/0	RSCH	23	Alexander Memorial Coliseum, Atlanta, U.S.
2	Win	Jul 22, 1996	Olympic Games (Middleweight)	Sackey Shivute	6/4/0	PTS	22	Alexander Memorial Coliseum, Atlanta, U.S.
3	Loss	Aug 20, 1994	Commonwealth Games (Light Heavyweight)	Kelly Oliver	5/0/0	PTS	21	Centennial Stadium, Victoria, Canada
4	Win	Oct 31, 1992	Australian National Championships (Light Heavyweight)	Garry Large	1/2/0	RSC	19	Darwin, Australia
5	Loss	Jul 26, 1992	Olympic Games (Middleweight)	Alexander Lebziak	12/5/0	RSCH	19	Pavello Club Joventut, Badalona, Spain
6	Loss	May 1, 1992	Canada Cup (Middleweight)	Chris Byrd	23/14/0	PTS	18	Ottawa, Canada
7	Loss	Nov 19, 1991	World Championships (Middleweight)	Ramon Garbey	10/3/0	RSC	18	Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sydney, Australia
8	Win	Sep 29, 1991	Australian National Championships (Middleweight)	Marc Bargero	4/0/0	PTS	18	Civic Centre, Perth, Australia
9	Win	Oct 28, 1990	Australian National Championships (75Kilo)	Steve Dack	1/2/0	KO	17	Dom Polski Centre, Adelaide, Australia
10	Win	Oct 26, 1990	Australian National Championships (75Kilo)	Ian McLeod	2/0/0	RSC	17	Dom Polski Centre, Adelaide, Australia
11	Win	Nov 5, 1989	Australian Junior Championships	Steven Satour	1/0/0	RSC	16	Town Hall, Preston, Australia
12	Win	Nov 13, 1989	Australian Junior Championships	Craig McFadden	0/0/0	PTS	16	Town Hall, Preston, Australia