Johnny Paychek
American boxer (1914–1988)
- Born
- 11 June 1914, Chicago
- Died
- 3 December 1988
- Citizenship
- United States
- Sport
- boxing
- Occupation
- boxer
John J. Pacek (June 11, 1914 – December 3, 1988), better known by the ring name Johnny Paychek, was an American boxer. Though considered a journeyman, he did face Joe Louis in 1940 for the lineal heavyweight title. Louis beat him by a second-round knockout, in what turned out to be Paychek's only world championship try as a professional boxer.
After retiring from the ring, Paychek married and had two children. A longtime resident of Lyons, Illinois, Paychek died on December 3, 1988, at La Grange Memorial Hospital in Western Springs,Illinois.
Country singer Johnny Paycheck took his stage name as a tribute or reference to Paychek.
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q62578969 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.