Throwbacks Versus Young Bloods

By Michael Amakor

Gone unnoticed this weekend under the cloud of the Heavyweight unification bore-fest (I actually dozed off during the fight, and skipped to the end during the recorded replay) this Saturday night was the amazing split decision victory of former Light Heavyweight champion Reggie Johnson over former WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Julio Cesar Gonzalez to seize the vacant International Boxing Association title at the Civic Center at Lake Charles in Louisiana.

This news was particularly bewildering to me.

Reggie Johnson’s last fight was in 2005, before that, he lost to Antonio Tarver in 2002. Before that he had two USBA- and NABF-title-winning fights in 2001 after a hiatus away from the active roster since 1999. So please explain to me how a five feet eleven inch 41-year-old, semi-retired, albeit experienced, veteran in a sport of hard knocks could come back from oblivion to decision an active fighter ten years his junior? Gonzalez stands six feet two inches tall and has a resume that included losing a UD against the tenacious Clinton Woods.

Perhaps Gonzalez absorbed too much punishment against Woods to be a threat to the comeback kid. I found few reports of the Gonzalez versus Johnson fight to wet my appetite about what happened and I am scouting around for a tape of the fight so I can understand this curious blip on the radar screen.

Johnson’s win kind of reminds me of Foreman beating Moorer, but Foreman, to his credit, was very active before that fight. The more I think about his victory, the more I remember scribes and historians always rambling about old-school fighters, or just simply throwback fighters. Perhaps Reggie trains old school like his 43-year-old peer Bernard Hopkins who outclassed the younger Tarver and gave the 27 year old Jermain Taylor almost more than he could handle in their two very competitive fights.

I questioned Reggie Johnson’s return against an active and number 13 ranked fighter in the division according to Fightnews.com. I suspected money to be the driving force behind such a risky gambit. That may still be the case and there is nothing wrong with that, and while his victory has somewhat vindicated his decision in this particular fight, I am still skeptical and not ready to jump on his bandwagon just yet.

While Reggie Johnson’s victory is great for him, if he wins his next fight against another ranked contender there will be fewer road blocks in front of him for a title shot, as he seems to be very well represented.

I hereby declare that we need more old school fighters in their forties but preferably in their fifties to knock some sense into these young bloods of today or at least give them a very good run for their money till the get their games in order. Keep Punching