Hilario Zapata vs Mark Johnson

Johnson by dec.

I am a big Zapata fan but he wasnt nearly as good at 112 as he had been at 108.

He greatly benefited from the largesse of the WBA to get their 112 lb title. He decisioned Alonso Strongbow Gonzales for their vacant title who didnt belong anywhere near a title fight. Zapapa had beaten him earlier and the WBA simply inserted Gonzales as the number 2. Zapata then had some very close decision wins against Javier Lucas and Alberto Castro. Insert prime Johnson in there and I see Too Sharp outworking Zapata. Zapatas defense was very good throughout his career but his offensive prowess diminished by 1983. He was very good at 112 but great at 108.

 

Too Sharp had fast hands but slow feet. He didn’t cut off the ring. He came directly in and looked to initiate a brawl. And he had the goods to come out on top. The guy was a banger. He was all speed, power, and machismo. He could box when he wanted to, but that was the exception, not the rule with him. I don’t know where this perception of him as some super slick Whitaker type came from. I’m guessing that short highlight clip of him clowning that no hoper Laureano.

Zapata was more well rounded in his early days, true, but that’s the version that Johnson would KO. The much more offensively oriented version that liked to mix it up. He was very hard to hit, but at least he was there. Too Sharp isn’t getting much going against the Zapata that schooled Penalosa and even the one that had a difficult second half against Lucas. He didn’t apply that kind of pressure, and this would be a 12 rounder, not 15. Maybe he could catch him down the stretch going for broke, but I figure that would be an anomaly.

 

Is it you?

 

You know it, man. Glad to see you.

 

Not to beg it, but can someone tell me the best Johnson fights to watch? I've seen Jimenez, Montiel and Juarez.

 

His fight with Leon Salazar is like a mini Hagler/Hearns.

 

Wow!

 

Just need lora and s_s to post again and I'd be quite happy and comfortable with returning on a semi-regular basis.

Do always hate old threads getting dredged up though...some of my old takes are ludicrously bad and more than a decade old.