Michael Grant v. Kevin Johnson...Greatest fight ever!

[oogiebe]

I was aghast when I saw this fight scheduled. Then...I laughed my a$$ off...then, I considered if it would be at least a good fight...

Thoughts?

[oogiebe]

Grant has not won a fight in 7 years.

[oogiebe]

45 y/o v. 38y/o

[TheBeast]

Won't happen... KingPin was pissing blood a little more than a week ago in his last fight vs Milas... Deep cut on his forehead

[Kalan]

I don't like to see guys who are old and useless fight... If their skills are eroded it's a spectacle not a boxing match.

I don't mind watching young guys who are fast, athletic, and clever -- but are somewhat lacking in skills because they're lacking in experience or coaching... They have developing skills and that's a lot different... Every day they're working on their skills in the gym and steadily improving so their fights are interesting... I'd rather watch a battle between a snake and a mongoose than watch Grant vs Johnson.

[Lackeos]

Kevin Johnson sure is doing his damned duty as a gatekeeper. Every time he loses to some prospect / contender, he's just out looking to rebound with another win before he fights another prospect.

From memory, 5 or 10 years ago, I believe all of the heavyweights in the top 50 had 100+ ratings, and the heavyweights on the #25 border had ratings around 225. By comparison, the heavyweight ratings of the present day are pathetically diminished. One big reason is we used to have gatekeepers like Michael Sprott, Matt Skelton, Mo Harris, Jameel McCline, Dominick Guinn, Jason Gavern, etc. who were effectively serving as stepping stones for all of the prospects. Dozens of losses each. They were like elevators who took points away from journeymen and distributed them upward to the contenders. Plus, it helped prevent the contenders / prospects from getting hit by boxrec's poor opposition penalty.

Kevin Johnson didn't used to be a great gatekeeper. But he's really stepped-up his level of activity and risk, and he's been periodically notching decent wins (Pianeta, Haumono, Sosnowski, Leapai). He's been a stepping stone for 9 other fighters. He's kind of like a poor man's James Toney (in style and in attitude); and the way he's fighting 2 weeks after getting split open... he's kind of a throwback.

[oogiebe]

Kevin Johnson sure is doing his damned duty as a gatekeeper. Every time he loses to some prospect / contender, he's just out looking to rebound with another win before he fights another prospect.

From memory, 5 or 10 years ago, I believe all of the heavyweights in the top 50 had 100+ ratings, and the heavyweights on the #25 border had ratings around 225. By comparison, the heavyweight ratings of the present day are pathetically diminished. One big reason is we used to have gatekeepers like Michael Sprott, Matt Skelton, Mo Harris, Jameel McCline, Dominick Guinn, Jason Gavern, etc. who were effectively serving as stepping stones for all of the prospects. Dozens of losses each. They were like elevators who took points away from journeymen and distributed them upward to the contenders. Plus, it helped prevent the contenders / prospects from getting hit by boxrec's poor opposition penalty.

Kevin Johnson didn't used to be a great gatekeeper. But he's really stepped-up his level of activity and risk, and he's been periodically notching decent wins (Pianeta, Haumono, Sosnowski, Leapai). He's been a stepping stone for 9 other fighters. He's kind of like a poor man's James Toney (in style and in attitude); and the way he's fighting 2 weeks after getting split open... he's kind of a throwback.

This is a fight that should never take place. I cannot even believe the commission is letting Grant continue to fight.

[Lackeos]

Kevin Johnson sure is doing his damned duty as a gatekeeper. Every time he loses to some prospect / contender, he's just out looking to rebound with another win before he fights another prospect.

From memory, 5 or 10 years ago, I believe all of the heavyweights in the top 50 had 100+ ratings, and the heavyweights on the #25 border had ratings around 225. By comparison, the heavyweight ratings of the present day are pathetically diminished. One big reason is we used to have gatekeepers like Michael Sprott, Matt Skelton, Mo Harris, Jameel McCline, Dominick Guinn, Jason Gavern, etc. who were effectively serving as stepping stones for all of the prospects. Dozens of losses each. They were like elevators who took points away from journeymen and distributed them upward to the contenders. Plus, it helped prevent the contenders / prospects from getting hit by boxrec's poor opposition penalty.

Kevin Johnson didn't used to be a great gatekeeper. But he's really stepped-up his level of activity and risk, and he's been periodically notching decent wins (Pianeta, Haumono, Sosnowski, Leapai). He's been a stepping stone for 9 other fighters. He's kind of like a poor man's James Toney (in style and in attitude); and the way he's fighting 2 weeks after getting split open... he's kind of a throwback.

This is a fight that should never take place. I cannot even believe the commission is letting Grant continue to fight.

Grant is 45, has 7 defeats (6 KOs), and hasn't fought in 11 months. It is not that different from Frans Botha's final fight. Roy Jones Jr. recently fought at age 49, has 9 defeats (5 KOs), and was coming off a year layoff.

None of this as ridiculous as someone like Eric Crumble, who went 0-31 (31 KO's). If you go digging, you won't have a hard time finding fighters that are 20 times less fit than Michael Grant to get into a ring. Like Milos Dovedan -- he's 36 years old, he's 2-36 (33 KO's), and he's scheduled to fight on March 24th (2 weeks after losing by TKO 1 to a corpse). Or Roman Horvath -- he's 44 years old, he's 0-29 (25 KO's), and apparently he has a pending result from fighting 2 days ago. Don't be under the impression that Michael Grant is an extreme case of an unlicenseable fighter, because there are many worse cases with much less visibility.

[oogiebe]

Kevin Johnson sure is doing his damned duty as a gatekeeper. Every time he loses to some prospect / contender, he's just out looking to rebound with another win before he fights another prospect.

From memory, 5 or 10 years ago, I believe all of the heavyweights in the top 50 had 100+ ratings, and the heavyweights on the #25 border had ratings around 225. By comparison, the heavyweight ratings of the present day are pathetically diminished. One big reason is we used to have gatekeepers like Michael Sprott, Matt Skelton, Mo Harris, Jameel McCline, Dominick Guinn, Jason Gavern, etc. who were effectively serving as stepping stones for all of the prospects. Dozens of losses each. They were like elevators who took points away from journeymen and distributed them upward to the contenders. Plus, it helped prevent the contenders / prospects from getting hit by boxrec's poor opposition penalty.

Kevin Johnson didn't used to be a great gatekeeper. But he's really stepped-up his level of activity and risk, and he's been periodically notching decent wins (Pianeta, Haumono, Sosnowski, Leapai). He's been a stepping stone for 9 other fighters. He's kind of like a poor man's James Toney (in style and in attitude); and the way he's fighting 2 weeks after getting split open... he's kind of a throwback.

This is a fight that should never take place. I cannot even believe the commission is letting Grant continue to fight.

Grant is 45, has 7 defeats (6 KOs), and hasn't fought in 11 months. It is not that different from Frans Botha's final fight. Roy Jones Jr. recently fought at age 49, has 9 defeats (5 KOs), and was coming off a year layoff.

None of this as ridiculous as someone like Eric Crumble, who went 0-31 (31 KO's). If you go digging, you won't have a hard time finding fighters that are 20 times less fit than Michael Grant to get into a ring. Like Milos Dovedan -- he's 36 years old, he's 2-36 (33 KO's), and he's scheduled to fight on March 24th (2 weeks after losing by TKO 1 to a corpse). Or Roman Horvath -- he's 44 years old, he's 0-29 (25 KO's), and apparently he has a pending result from fighting 2 days ago. Don't be under the impression that Michael Grant is an extreme case of an unlicenseable fighter, because there are many worse cases with much less visibility.

There certainly are and they are tragic, but this one is right in our faces. Grant is vulnerable...I worry...he wasn't exactly a sturdy sort 20 years ago

[chinarich]

It’s scheduled for 12 rounds so there has to be some dodgy ‘world’ title on the line...

I was correct:

It’s for the WBC, but not as we know it...

[Cent0089]

Just enjoy evenly matched heavyweight match and let athletes make some money. Maybe it would me more fun than you expecting

[Cas]

Would be a travesty.

There are a fair few fighters well past their sell by date still fighting.

Danny Williams who knocked out Mike Tyson in 2004 is still fighting. He was tough as nails back then and now he loses to cans on the regular. His record now stands a marvelous 50 wins and 26 loses..

[Lackeos]

Danny Williams who knocked out Mike Tyson in 2004 is still fighting. He was tough as nails back then and now he loses to cans on the regular. His record now stands a marvelous 50 wins and 26 loses..

Now there's someone Michael Grant would beat. Back in 2014, prior to Danny's recent 4-1 run, his boxrec rating was 1. When your rating is 1, you're not even a bum anymore, you're a corpse.

[Cas]

Danny Williams who knocked out Mike Tyson in 2004 is still fighting. He was tough as nails back then and now he loses to cans on the regular. His record now stands a marvelous 50 wins and 26 loses..

Now there's someone Michael Grant would beat. Back in 2014, prior to Danny's recent 4-1 run, his boxrec rating was 1. When your rating is 1, you're not even a bum anymore, you're a corpse.

Which sums up how its gone way to far.. I remember seeing posts from 2011 calling for Danny Williams to quit! I guess they need the money and feel they have no other option.

Some say Holyfield fought to long but his defeats were mostly to credible opponents even later on in his career. When you are losing to opponents with more loses than wins, you are a walking punchbag.

[candyslim]

I just think it's sad. I remember Kingpin having just been destroyed and embarrassed (after giving it large about what he was going to do to AJ) by Joshua, saying "That's it. Time to go. I'm not going to hang around until I get beat by someone who's 5 and 0".

He's staying pretty active in his retirement, you have to give him that

[Ruthless-RKO]

Michael Sprott has replaced Johnson for this fight..

[oogiebe]

Michael Sprott has replaced Johnson for this fight..

That's a relief. Grant too old and too terrible.

[jamamb]

Michael Sprott has replaced Johnson for this fight..

That's a relief. Grant too old and too terrible.

have you checked sprotts record of late?

[oogiebe]

Michael Sprott has replaced Johnson for this fight..

That's a relief. Grant too old and too terrible.

have you checked sprotts record oflate?

HAHAHAHA!!! Good point indeed!

[jamamb]

oh, but he replaced johnson i see, so should make for a more balanced match then grant vs johnson

[oogiebe]

oh, but he replaced johnson i see, so should make for a more balanced match then grant vs johnson

UGH!

[Lackeos]

Michael Sprott has replaced Johnson for this fight..

That's a relief. Grant too old and too terrible.

have you checked sprotts record of late?

Sprott's got a boxrec rating of 9, and he's 0-6 in his last 6. Grant has a boxrec rating of 14, and he's 2-4 in his last 6. I think the matchmaking is reasonably close.

[sweetviolenturge]

I remember back when I was a kid there was an article in one of the first boxing magazines that I ever purchased/read titled "Where Does He Go From Here?" about former heavyweight title challenger/contender Ron Stander after he suffered a rather brutal KO by 5 at the hands of #1 contender Ken Norton. In it, the author lamented the state of Stander's career as he'd gone from being a headliner in sold-out arenas in Omaha, Nebraska to being a broken down journeyman opponent who was struggling to stay at near .500 by going just 5-7-1 since challenging Frazier for the title.
Both Grant & Johnson are both in a similar state to where Stander was back in 1976. Only Stander actually went 8-3 in his next 11 fights following the Norton affair. Unfortunately, taking into account their ages & their current states I'm doubtful that Grant or Johnson have 8 more wins between the two of them. Much less individually.

[jamamb]

i have a bit of a soft spot for grant, a big hulking powerful guy who yet somehow seemed too soft for the highest levels

tbf i think he ended up underrated. at his best before lennox he was not bad at all, though very raw. i would say probably top ten material if he were around today.

[oogiebe]

i have a bit of a soft spot for grant, a big hulking powerful guy who yet somehow seemed too soft for the highest levels

tbf i think he ended up underrated. at his best before lennox he was not bad at all, though very raw. i would say probably top ten material if he were around today.

I respect your thoughts, but don't agree...he was saved by a quitter against Golota (the human enigma), and was exposed against Lewis. He was a great athlete who took up boxing late. IDK...top ten today? Maybe?