johnsonscorner

Johnson's Corner

by Stephen Johnson, Boy Wonder

Norman Mailer: 1/31/1923 to 11/10/2007
By Stephen S. Johnson
DAVARRYL WILLIAMSON…TRUE GRIT: (INSIDE BOXING) DECEMBER 9, 2004 The announcement that DaVarryl Williamson had signed DON KING as his promoter was alarming to some.; What DaVarryl Williamson did was provide himself and his family with the financial security they deserve.; The portrayed villain, Don King, is in the business of making money.; DaVarryl is now in the business for the dual purpose of attaining the title Heavyweight Champion of the World and…making money. More

(INSIDE BOXING) March 13, 2004 Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas - Vassiliy Jirov (33-2) was the (hand picked) next victim of the odds on favorite to be the next Heavyweight Champion of the World. Instead, it was Jirov who gave “Baby” Joe Mesi (29-0) a good solid beating. The problem was that the beating came in the 1st, 9th and 10th rounds of a scheduled 10 round fight. More

INSIDE BOXING (December 18, 2003) -“The Golden Boy” will be a 2004 Olympic boxing analyst for Telemundo, the Spanish language station.
Oscar de la Hoya is articulate and brings a fresh new face to the boxing analyst group that will provide Telemundo viewers with an excellent boxers perspective.
What WON’T need to be done during the 2004 Olympic Games is for de la Hoya to push his own agenda of what he terms, “bad decisions” in the sport.
During the press conference held October 29, 2003 in New York announcing Telemundo (owned by NBC) had secured the services of de la Hoya, the “Golden Boy” wasted no time in setting the record straight. More

Roy Jones, Jr. becoming heavyweight champ, Vernon Forrest defeating “Sugar” Shane Moseley, Ricardo Mayorga destroying Vernon Forrrest and “Sugar” Shane Moseley surprising Oscar de la Hoya were just a few of the bouts that injected enthusiasm and excitement into the topsy-turvy world of the sport called “professional boxing”. More

INSIDE BOXING (October 29,2003) - This coming Saturday night, November 1st, the featherweight division should have a unified champion.

Derrick “Smoke” Gainer (39-5, 24KO’s), the WBA version of the featherweight king, takes on Juan Manuel Marquez (41-2, 32 KO’s), the IBF version of same division.

The fight is being billed as the opportunity for “Smoke” Gainer to show that he is the best in the featherweight division.

If you truly believe this prior statement, I have some prime swamp land in Florida you’ll be very interested in! More

INSIDE BOXING (October 1, 2003) - This past Saturday night Denver’s own DaVarryl Williamson was knocked out in the first round by hometown favorite “Baby Joe” Mesi.

The fight was the main-event on a card featuring 3 bouts purportedly showcasing the future of the heavyweight division.

None of the fights lived up to the pre-fight billing.

Sure, Dominick Dunn, Juan Carlos Gomez and “Baby Joe” Mesi were victorious, but are they legitimate heavyweight contenders? More

INSIDE BOXING (March 17, 2003) - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has once again proven to be a safe haven for hometown hero Paul Spadafora (36-0-1, 14 KO’s).

Leonard Dorin (21-0-1, 7 KO’s) of Romania learned that there is no such thing as a victory over Paul Spadafora when he is in the friendly confines of Pittsburgh.

The final scorecards read: 115-113 Dorin, 115-114 Spadafora and 114-114 making the fight a draw.

Isn’t this only supposed to happen in a DON KING PRODUCTION? Did DON KING PROMOTIONS have anything to do with this fight? More

DENVER, COLORADO (IB- April 10, 2003) - Promoters Barry Fey and Murad Muhammad joined Denver mayor Wellington Webb and local matchmaker Aurelio Martinez in announcing plans to bring championship boxing to the Denver Coliseum 6 times per year for the next 3 years.

In a press conference held today at the downtown Denver ADAM’S MARK HOTEL, the announcement was made that the inaugural event will be held on Friday, May 16, 2003 in the Denver Coliseum.

Headlining this fight card will be Former Two-Time World Champion Keith Holmes versus a yet to be determined opponent. More

(IB March 24, 2003) - Over the years these two words have been responsible for as much controversy as religion and politics.

There is no reason to see any man pummel another into submission…is there?

Proponents believe the ability of one man to withstand both the physical and mental strength of another is both exciting and entertaining.

Opponents suggest that condoning such activity is barbaric and counter productive to man moving on in the scheme of evolution. More

(IB - March 1, 2003) - Saturday night Roy Jones, Jr. added the title HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION to his already impressive boxing resume.

John Ruiz became the latest victim of the man who must now be recognized as the best “pound-for-pound” fighter in the world.

The “nay-sayers” that belittle and harass Roy Jones, Jr. must now give him his due props.

The first fighter to ever hold the middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight titles during his career, Roy Jones, Jr. has further enshrined himself in the BOXING HALL OF FAME. More

INSIDE BOXING (January 28, 2003) - Roy Jones, Jr. is the most talented boxer in the professional ranks.

There are no fighters at 175 pounds or under in the world that can beat him.

But does that make him deserving of leap-frogging other viable members of the heavyweight division to challenge a current heavyweight champion?

There seems to be little spoken regarding Jones’ opponent, John Ruiz. More

DENVER, CO (IB-December 7, 2002) On a Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. when most people are planning their weekend activities, a group of professional boxers decided to instead entertain youngsters at the 2002 FUNDAMENTAL FUN, INC. free boxing clinic.

This was no ordinary group of boxers. These are fighters that have the title WORLD CHAMPION associated with their names.

The current WBC and IBF World Champion in the welterweight division, VERNON FORREST, came up from Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Vernon is training for a title bout on January 25, 2003 against the WBA welterweight titleholder, Ricardo Mayorga. Vernon will then be the Undisputed Champion of the World in the welterweight division.

(INSIDE BOXING, October 29, 2002) - March 1, 2003. Thomas and Mack Center. Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the scheduled date and venue for what could be a history-making event. On this date and in this arena the Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion of the World, Roy Jones, Jr. (47-1, 38 KO's) vs. WBA Heavyweight Champion of the World, John Ruiz (38-4-1, 27 KO's) for Ruiz' heavyweight title belt. More

(INSIDE BOXING) I'll bet all of you thought I'd disappeared into the sunset. All bets are off! I took a little time off to observe what seemed to be a truckload of upcoming championship battles. As usual we are left somewhat disappointed. In the span of a few short months: Bernard Hopkins destroyed Felix Trinidad, Jose Luis Castillo was robbed in a match with Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Vernon Forrest has stopped Shane Moseley not once but twice, Lennox Lewis knocked out the once invincible Mike Tyson and finally Oscar de la Hoya took apart his arch enemy Fernando Vargas. More

DENVER, Colorado (INSIDE BOXING, August 17, 2002). T's KO Promotions and Arroyo Entertainment has taken the inside track when it comes to outdoor summer boxing in Colorado. The second collaboration of these two promoters produced another solid and entertaining afternoon of professional boxing. The number one goal of the "Saturday Afternoon Fights" is to be recognized as being both competitive and entertaining. So far, they are achieving that goal. More

Denver, Colorado (INSIDE BOXING, July 13, 2002) - T's KO Promotions and Arroyo Entertainment combined efforts to provide Denver area boxing fans with a fantastic afternoon of professional boxing. The parking lot of Don Carlos Mexican Grill, 3800 Walnut Street in Denver, was cleared to provide the necessary space for both boxers and fight fans to enjoy the most comfortable setting possible. Ringside reserved tickets were $30, reserved tickets were $20 and general admission tickets were priced at a mere $10 making the afternoon fights more than affordable for the true fight fan. More

INSIDE BOXING (June 15, 2002) - Professional boxing offers much in the way of pugilistic entertainment. What it can offer in the way of God and family is what heavyweight contender DaVarryl Williamson, or as he is commonly referred to "Touch of Sleep", hopes to inject as well.

The 6 foot 4 and 212 pound Williamson (16-1, 15 KO's) has made a somewhat dramatic charge into the heavyweight division after a stellar amateur career that began at age 25. Most boxers are ready for retirement at the age when DaVarryl was just getting started.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (INSIDE BOXING, 06/08/02) "Iron" Mike Tyson was KO'd by Lennox Lewis tonight. The outcome should not have been unexpected.Lewis enjoyed a 6 inches height as well as reach advantage. Lewis has been active over the last year while Tyson has been dormant. Lewis has been the epitome of class in a sport that is all too often classless. So why would the whole world heavily anticipate the Lewis vs. Tyson heavyweight title fight?.. More

Denver, Colorado (INSIDE BOXING) . Friday night May 24, 2002 there were no losers. Although there was a fight card featuring 10 Colorado Firefighters/Police vs. 10 New York Firefighters/Police, everyone in attendance was a winner. The Colorado Convention Center was the chosen venue for a fundraising effort that was organized to help charities of both the New York and Denver Police and Firefighting Associations...(More)

According to the WBA’s #1 ranked contender in the welterweight division there’s a “new sheriff” in town.

Ricardo Mayorga said just that in a national conference call promoting this Saturday night’s title fight against current WBA welterweight champion Andrew “Six-Heads” Lewis.

Despite the impressive 19 KO’s in 22 bouts Lewis brings, Mayorga is more than confident what will happen Saturday night.

The pretender to the throne of heavyweight champion (Lennox Lewis) has finally admitted what everyone in the boxing community already knew. He is afraid of “Iron” Mike Tyson.

The Heavyweight Champion of the World is supposed to be “the baddest man on earth”. Lennox Lewis officially acknowledged Mike Tyson as that man on Tuesday, March 19, 2002.

There is no longer any doubt that Paul “The Pittsburgh Kid” Spadafora cannot compete with the elite fighters in the lightweight division. Saturday night Spadafora improved his unbeaten record (35-0, 14 KO’s) following his defeat of Angel Manfredy (39-6-1, 29 KO’s).

The carefully selected Manfredy was supposed to be the first legitimate test for the unbeaten IBF Lightweight Champion Spadafora. There would be no test as the plodding Manfredy offered no semblance of intention to dethrone the suspect IBF Champion Spadafora...(More)

Roy Jones, Jr., the undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion of the World, won again. Bernard Hopkins, the undisputed Middleweight Champion of the World, won again.

What more could one expect from either World Champion?

According to the “powers that be” (they know they are) the light heavyweight champion (175 pounds limit) should fight the middleweight champion (160 pounds limit)...(More)

The decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to deny heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson a license to fight in their State was a major surprise.

On the surface the decision seemed an easy one. In reality there was heated debate on both sides.

To deny their State the infusion of the millions of dollars that would surely have accompanied a heavyweight championship bout between Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis was and will be a point of debate for years to come...(More)

Brazilian knockout artist Acelino Freitas (31-0, 29 KO's) proved he has both the arm and leg strength to handle anyone in the super featherweight (130 pound) division with his victory over the previously unbeaten Cuban defector Joel Casamayor (26-1, 13 KO's)...(More)

The IBF Lightweight Champion, Paul Spadafora, will retain that title for quite some time. He carefully selects opponents that pose no threat to his IBF title. He is on record as saying that any bout against either Floyd Mayweather, Jr. or Arturo Gatti would be a non-title match...(More)

Super middleweight contender James "The Harlem Hammer" Butler (18-3), with a national television audience in clear view, disgraced himself and the sport of boxing this past Friday night... (More)

The proclamation of "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather, Jr. that he is now moving up to the lightweight division was music to the ears of one Paul "The Pittsburgh Kid" Spadafora as well as every other lightweight fighter in the world... (More)

Oscar De La Hoya...All talk, little action.