Anyone remember big Vonzell?
He was a good amateur and as a pro compiled a 22-1 (11) record til 1981 when he fought Saad Muhammad for the WBC title. He was beating Saad and well ahead on points when Saad started to come on & Johnson fell apart in the 11th.
Later the same year he took on Michael Spinks for the WBA title. I wouldn't say he was beating Spinks but he was definitely giving him a stern argument. The Spinks Jinx though landed repeatedly didn't budge Johnson, then in the 7th as they were parting from a break Spinks fired a sneaky right Johnson never saw coming and that was the end!
Surprisingly that was the end of his career as he never fought again. He was only 29. Anyone recall Johnson or why he retired? He was skilled, tough & very entertaining, and could have featured in more good fights.
A 1982 fight with Eddie Mustafa Muhammad would have been good, or a challenge to Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
But he just packed it in. Weird.