by Geoffrey Ciani – Undefeated American heavyweight contender Kevin Johnson talked a big game in the lead up to his WBC title shot against reigning champion Vitali Klitschko. As it turns out, he may have talked the talk but he did not walk the walk. It almost seemed as if Kevin Johnson believed simply going the distance with Klitschko was a victory in itself. From the opening round, Johnson was very tentative. Klitschko did not do much in the first round, but he was able to walk Johnson down and back him into the ropes. While there, Johnson was in a defensive shell, trying to slip and deflect punches. He had some success, but enough punches got through that it was a clear round for Klitschko. This would become a familiar pattern during the fight.
Time and time again, Klitschko would walk Johnson to the ropes while peppering him with punches. Johnson did well in spots when he worked behind his jab. The problem was none of what he did ever amounted to much. He was simply throwing one jab at a time and never following it up with anything meaningful. He was talking a lot of smack inside the ring but he looked foolish in doing so, because despite showing good defense and movement at times, he never mounted any offense. He basically let Klitschko walk him down and do as he pleased. Johnson’s offense was simply non-existent..
Round after round, Klitschko was having his way with Johnson. In the eighth, Klitschko started opening up a bit more and committing to his punches. Unfortunately for Klitschko, Johnson was in survival mode for the majority of the contest. That meant he was unable to wear Johnson down through an accumulation of shots the way he typically does. This was not Klitschko’s fault, as Johnson apparently had no desire to win. He just wanted to survive. At the end of the eleventh round, Johnson finally started throwing some punches with mean intent. Not only was it too late, but even then, he still seemed reluctant. He simply had no desire to take chances and never really tried to win.
In the final round, Klitschko started lifting his hand in the air, mocking Johnson for his trash talking ways. Klitschko even actually managed to hurt Johnson with a solid right hand in that final round, but Johnson recuperated and was able to become only the second fighter to last the full distance with Klitschko. This was a small consolation when considering the lopsided scorecards, however, which read 120-108, 120-108, and 119-109 all in favor of Klitschko. Personally, I scored it 119-109, but perhaps I was overly generous in giving Johnson the seventh round on my card. Regardless, the fact remains—Klitschko thoroughly dominated Johnson.
This concludes a good year for Klitschko. He defended his WBC title three times, scoring victories against Juan Carlos Gomez, Chris Arreola, and now Kevin Johnson. He is a perfect 4-0 since coming out of a four year retirement last October. How much time does the 38 year old champion have left? It is difficult to say, but if today is any indicator, he may have quite a bit left in the tank.
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