Mark Vyacheslavovich Petrovsky vs. Kevin Blue Vladimirovich Johnson & V. Datsik vs. Oli Thompson RBR

Mark Vyacheslavovich Petrovsky vs. Kevin Blue Vladimirovich Johnson, 8 rounds @ heavyweight

 

Round 1

Petrovsky is jabbing the chest of Johnson. Petrovsky moving rapidly to his left. Johnson takes a minute to warm up but then starts to score with quick jabs to Petrovsky's face. Combinations by Johnson, putting an overhand right behind the jab and landing flush. Petrovskytries a three shot combination lunging in with straights but Johnson pulls some Toneyesque pocket defense, raising his arms while leaning backward to slip everything. Johnson really starting to box well in the second half of this opener. And it has to be said, looks svelter and faster than he has in YEARS. Right hand lead on the body by Johnson, followed by a triple jab while floating clockwise away from the ropes. Johnson unloads a 1-2 and the shots skid off Petrovsky's arms as he jumps in throwing his own combination, both disrupting and making each other miss.

10-9 Johnson, close

 

This version of Johnson looks hungry...and not in the way he has been since the early 2010's.

 

Round 2

Petrovsky is knifing out jabs from a crab stance, putting Johnson near the ropes with pressure but not touching him with anything. Johnson just leaning casually away and picking off some shots on the knuckles of his right glove. Johnson sliding a jab past Petrovsky's while keeping his head pulled out of range. Johnson moving and boxing well. Petrovsky with lots of nervous energy, never keeping his left still, either jabbing and missing or waving it up & down in front of his face thinking out his next move. Petrovsky advances with heavy right hands which Johnson blocks while skipping backwards, then Johnson stuffs a couple of stiff jabs in his mouth. Hardest punches being thrown by Petrovsky, more accurate by far from Johnson. He catches Petrovsky running in with an uppercut before the bell.

10-9 Johnson

20-18 Johnson

 

Sugar Nikolai Valuev on commentary.

 

Round 3

Petrovsky is getting mad, Johnson taunting and toying with him after drifting into the corner or ropes by leaning just far enough away for jabs to not reach him. Petrovsky tries a bunch of hard underhanded body shots but Johnson just wriggles out the side door feeding him counter jabs. SWEET combination by Johnson past a lazy Petrovsky jab, a classic 1-2-3 with the jab up top, right cross on the belt line, and left hook returning up top. He put some mustard on that, as well. Petrovsky showing a good chin so far taking Johnson's heaviest stuff. Petrovsky with more largely ineffective pressure, hoping to score a lucky blow pumping out the same 1-2 at the same altitude. Johnson's defense more than up to the task of slipping almost all of Petrovsky's punches (and ensuring that whatever does land is only glancing).

10-9 Johnson

30-27 Johnson

 

Dude has no business boxing this well twenty years into his career, aged 43. Imagine if he had trained regularly and stayed serious the whole time?

 

Round 4

Petrovsky continues to peck with the jab, using lots of twitchy feints and head jerks on the way in. Johnson's movement stands in stark contrast - unhurried, slothlike, and economical, with just a slide of a foot or roll of a shoulder here and there, as needed to slip or roll with punches. Johnson with a much lower output than in the first three rounds but still the more accurate man with his jab and body shots awaiting Petrovsky when he charges in. Petrovsky looking tired and encircles his arms around Johnson's waist near the bell.

10-9 Johnson

40-36 Johnson

 

They show what is supposed to be a flattering slow-motion highlight of Petrovsky's offense, and it just shows like ten punches all missing as Johnson, with his arms up to screen, shrimped & squirmed against the ropes.

 

Round 5

Petrovsky is throwing some bombs, just not finding the mark. Johnson controlling range with a lazy, buttery-smooth gait and letting the jab flow. At one point their arms entangle as Johnson is leaning forward and Petrovsky (and the commentators) believe Johnson is hurt, so Petrovsky rushes in and throws a bunch of pendulous power shots, but Johnson turtles his head down between his shoulders, crosses his arms and makes himself a small target so that little of Petrovsky's stuff gets through cleanly. That said, Johnson didn't get a fraction of the jabs and body shots in this round that he did in the first half of the contest - and plenty of Petrovsky's punches do at least graze Johnson.

10-9 Petrovsky

49-46 Johnson