Ugh...WTF. Kevin "The Kingpin" Johnson vs. Francesco "The Italian Ace" Pianeta - yes this is real.

We're being "treated" in about 48 hours to a big wet fart-in-the-mouth of a heavyweight world title fight (j/k, only the IBO...still, though) featuring a guy that is 3-6 in the last five years (with the only notable win coming over Solomon Haumono) versus a guy that has accomplished nothing since getting quickly and easily kayoed in a WBA title fight by Ruslan Chagaev in 2015, preceded by accomplishing nothing since getting dominated and easily kayoed in a WBA title fight by Wladimir Klitschko in 2013, preceded by accomplishing nothing ever with the exception of drawing with Sosnowski and snatching the zero of a green Duhaupas, almost nine years ago.

To whom should we send thank-you flowers? Why, none other than Sasha "The White Tiger" Petkovic, who at the very least nowadays has the grace to no longer book himself on his tepid 'slow weak HW vs. slow weak HW match-up'-laden cards.

 

The horrible thing is the winner could end up conceivably in yet another Real world title match.

 

You don't reckon a vicious double KO, a`la Bundrage versus Powell I except with neither man opening his eyes?

 

What an ugly stretch that was, for a guy that many had pegged as top 5 h2h at the weight for a time (and damned if he actually wasn't, that's how bad the division got/has largely remained outside a few lone oases like Joshua/Parker/Sasha and to a lesser extent Pulev/Ortiz and below them still Takam/Whyte//Ruiz Jr./Pérez before he dropped to Cruiser... really having a hard time dredging up anybody else currently going that is clearly better or at least as good as Kingpin in his prime. Remains to be seen I guess what young guns like Kownacki and Miller amount to, but part of me suspects their one-dimensional natures would have made them putty in his mitts, letting him shell-and-jab them into oblivion. Otherwise, we've got what? The likes of Christian Hammer to whom Johnson had no business losing, and old can-crusher Lucas Browne and old pot-shot specialist Malik Scott, and Tony Bellew whom people seem to conveniently forget was spanked by Stevenson down at LHW, not to mention outfought by Cleverly and Chilemba once each - all these guys are top 15ish at heavy now? Ugh. Dreadful.)