Did Kevin Johnson Deserve His Title Shot?

He was credible I guess, but there were better potential challengers out there.

 

Not in a mandatory sense no. But putting things into perspective, Klitschko had just returned to the ring the previous fall after being off for four years and had already beaten Peter, Gomez and Arreola - All three of whom were top five. A softer touch was probably due. And given that champions like Holmes, Ali and even Louis have chosen lesser foes than a 23-0 prospect, it wasn't exactly a crime.

 

Ideally, yes.
But that was never the case in the real world.

In the age of 3 "world champions", the problem is even worse.

 

Yes, he deserved it.

He wasn't as flashly as Barkley and Thunder Dan but he was just as important part of that team who I believe still have a franchise best number of wins. It's just a shame they had to run into Jordan's bulls...Jordan was ruthless that year, absolutely cold blooded.

 

The ironic part is that had they just held off to stage Klitschko vs. Johnson later in the year, he would have (presumably) beaten someone that was ranked.

October 10th of 2009 @ the MSG Little Theater was supposed to be headlined by Kevin Johnson vs. Odlanier Solis, with a pair of small man world title bouts as co-features (Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rogers Mtagwa at super bantam and Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Whyber Garcia at feather, with the ostensible intent to continue drumming up interest for what seemed an inevitable Lopez vs. Gamboa showdown)

Johnson's team was informed that an offer had been extended from K2 and he dropped off the card with a mere couple of weeks notice - after most tickets (including mine) had been sold. :twisted:

In lieu of Johnson, who at that point in his career (before losing his zero and lapsing into demoralized 1-punch-a-minute sparring partner mode) stood, IMO, a very good chance to outbox the career-high 271lb fatty, we got for a substitute opponent for Solis the homeless (literally, was living in his car at that point) Monte Barrett, whom the Cuban easily blew out in 2. :-(

Had the Kingpin team just told Klitschko "wait until after we beat Solis please? " - it would have benefited all parties. Johnson picks up a nice scalp on his resume - career-best, actually - receiving not only the big Klitschko payday afterward but the extra pocket cash headlining that night @ MSG LT would've raked in. Klitschko gets a challenger who is coming off a win over a ranked unbeaten touted amateur star.

Why they chose to rush..? Anyone's guess. :conf All I know is, from a paying customer's perspective, I'm still more than a little ticked off and bitter about it.

 

KJ was a hell of a player and that's coming from a chicagoan who watched those championship games. Around 1994 in the western conference playoffs, Johnson scored 47 points for the Suns against the rockets and set the record for most successful free throws in a single ball game.

 

As mentioned before he was ranked in the top ten by ring magazine at the time of the fight, so in that sense he was an okay opponent. The Ranking was based on beating the un-defeated Vargus, who represented the USA at heavyweight in the Olympics ( 2004 ) and standing out in they gym as a top sparring partner for Wlad.

Johnson was a big man in his prime who could box and take a punch. He just did not have great intangibles to fight back vs the best.

 

Solis would've beaten him.

 

At 271lb? Based on what?

 

:sad2

 

He might've come in lighter if Johnson signed up. Anyway, Solis back then wouldn't have lost to Johnson. That's a large gap in skill and power favoring Solis. He's sucked for the last two years but he was decent at that time.