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kenyan_cheena · 03-04-2005, 10:02 AM

JOHNSON'S DEFEAT SENDS
SHOCKWAVES THROUGH
THE HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION

Sunday 27 January 2002

When Jack Johnson stepped into the ring last night in Buffalo against Joe Beckett, the result was supposed to be a mere formality. After all, the 21 year-old native of Galveston, Texas was the #3 seed in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's 128-man World Championship tournament. He had shown some extremely impressive skills during the HBF's October tournament auditions, skills that had led to the federation awarding him with his high seeding. The bout against Beckett, the 126th seed from Wickham in England, would simply serve as a vehicle to introduce Jack Johnson to the world.

Sometimes, formalities have a habit of turning terribly complicated.

Most people around the country (and in certain parts of the world) would know by now that Johnson was sensationally defeated by Beckett last night. They would know that Joe Beckett - who earned the nickname of "The Angry Englishman" due to his aggressive proclamations leading up to the bout - was behind on points in the final round when he landed a single left hook on Jack Johnson's chin, sending the heavily favoured Texan fighter onto the seat of his pants. They would also know that the knockdown made all the difference when the judge's scorecards were tallied, with Beckett taking a unanimous decision, 57-56 on all three cards.

Today, there aren't many topics that are as hot as Jack Johnson's failure in his HBF debut. It has adorned the back page (and, in some cases, the front page) of numerous publications the world over. Some of the headlines have been scathing in their criticism of Johnson, such as the Houston Express, which carried the headline, "BIGSHOT GETS BACKSIDE BUSTED BY BRAVE BRITON IN BUFFALO". The London Times had the fight on the front page, reading, "GO JOE!!! BECKETT WINS BIG IN BUFFALO".

Indeed, it seems every man and his dog has an opinion on why Johnson lost. However, for this article, we'll just look at a sample of what those involved in the fight game itself have been saying.

James Reynolds of the New York Age believed that Johnson's poor preparation was the main reason for his defeat.

"I was really shocked by his attitude after the fight," Reynolds said. "The way in which he denied that his preparation had anything to do with it. That was just ... I couldn't believe it. Just a delusional thing to say. If Jack Johnson had trained properly for that fight, it would not have mattered if he had been knocked down in the sixth round, because he would have won every round before then. The guy that everyone saw in the ring last night was a shadow of the one that we all saw at the auditions. I have to wonder if this loss will be a wake-up call for him to stop with all these distractions. I remember the interview I did with Gene Tunney two weeks ago before his debut. Now, that's a dedicated fighter right there. Jack Johnson could learn a thing or two from Gene Tunney."

Larry Brewer, sports writer for the Boston Express, was fascinated by last night's card, and the impact it will have on the next fight card for Group Three of the World Championship tournament.

"What no one has said much about today is the performance of Cleveland Williams," said Brewer. "He's the #30 seed, but he was very ordinary, really dodged a bullet. Williams should have lost that decision, but he didn't. Just imagine if he had, then both of the top seeds in that group would have lost. I'm really looking forward to this group's next card, which I believe is going to be in England. You'll have Beckett against Williams, both guys undefeated, with Beckett fighting in front of his home crowd. You just know that he's going to be feeling invincible. He's going to want to prove that his victory last night wasn't just a fluke. He's going to take some confidence from the way Willaims fought last night, also. I think that has the potential to be a great bout. Then you've got Johnson and Valentino. Doesn't matter what Johnson said last night. I think he'll be much better prepared for the next fight. Valentino got robbed against Williams, so he'll be even hungrier against Johnson. Neither one of those guys will want to fall to 0-2. Man, I'm really looking forward to those two bouts."

HBF President Michael Vincennes reinforced the point he had made back in late November, before the tournament had even started.

"Remember what I said?" smiled Vincennes. "Everyone was giving the HBF grief about leaving Rocky Marciano out of the World Championship tournament. I made the point then, and I'll make it again right now. Who knows how well these young men will fight once they climb into the ring? Last night, Joe Beckett proved that the most important attributes that the winner of this tournament will possess are courage and determination. I think more credit should be given to Joe Beckett for the way he fought against Jack Johnson. It was a thrill to watch."

Riddick Bowe, the #5 seed in the World Championship tournament, was loathe to kick his friendly rival while down.

"It's kinda sad for him," Bowe sighed. "You know, Jack's a very visible brother, you know? He's a celebrity, moreso than any other fighter in this tournament. Even more than me. I think that Jack stretched himself a bit thin with all these outside things. Different people always wanting to be "seen" with him. Don't worry, he knows he let his fans down. He knows that he'll have to train twenty times harder for the next fight."

Johnson could not be reached today, most likely bunkered down to wait out the storm of public criticism...

03-04-2005, 10:02 AM	#100 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 7,584 Thanks: 80 Thanked 143x in 125 posts	JOHNSON'S DEFEAT SENDS SHOCKWAVES THROUGH THE HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING FEDERATION Sunday 27 January 2002 When Jack Johnson stepped into the ring last night in Buffalo against Joe Beckett, the result was supposed to be a mere formality. After all, the 21 year-old native of Galveston, Texas was the #3 seed in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's 128-man World Championship tournament. He had shown some extremely impressive skills during the HBF's October tournament auditions, skills that had led to the federation awarding him with his high seeding. The bout against Beckett, the 126th seed from Wickham in England, would simply serve as a vehicle to introduce Jack Johnson to the world. Sometimes, formalities have a habit of turning terribly complicated. Most people around the country (and in certain parts of the world) would know by now that Johnson was sensationally defeated by Beckett last night. They would know that Joe Beckett - who earned the nickname of "The Angry Englishman" due to his aggressive proclamations leading up to the bout - was behind on points in the final round when he landed a single left hook on Jack Johnson's chin, sending the heavily favoured Texan fighter onto the seat of his pants. They would also know that the knockdown made all the difference when the judge's scorecards were tallied, with Beckett taking a unanimous decision, 57-56 on all three cards. Today, there aren't many topics that are as hot as Jack Johnson's failure in his HBF debut. It has adorned the back page (and, in some cases, the front page) of numerous publications the world over. Some of the headlines have been scathing in their criticism of Johnson, such as the Houston Express, which carried the headline, "BIGSHOT GETS BACKSIDE BUSTED BY BRAVE BRITON IN BUFFALO". The London Times had the fight on the front page, reading, "GO JOE!!! BECKETT WINS BIG IN BUFFALO". Indeed, it seems every man and his dog has an opinion on why Johnson lost. However, for this article, we'll just look at a sample of what those involved in the fight game itself have been saying. James Reynolds of the New York Age believed that Johnson's poor preparation was the main reason for his defeat. "I was really shocked by his attitude after the fight," Reynolds said. "The way in which he denied that his preparation had anything to do with it. That was just ... I couldn't believe it. Just a delusional thing to say. If Jack Johnson had trained properly for that fight, it would not have mattered if he had been knocked down in the sixth round, because he would have won every round before then. The guy that everyone saw in the ring last night was a shadow of the one that we all saw at the auditions. I have to wonder if this loss will be a wake-up call for him to stop with all these distractions. I remember the interview I did with Gene Tunney two weeks ago before his debut. Now, that's a dedicated fighter right there. Jack Johnson could learn a thing or two from Gene Tunney." Larry Brewer, sports writer for the Boston Express, was fascinated by last night's card, and the impact it will have on the next fight card for Group Three of the World Championship tournament. "What no one has said much about today is the performance of Cleveland Williams," said Brewer. "He's the #30 seed, but he was very ordinary, really dodged a bullet. Williams should have lost that decision, but he didn't. Just imagine if he had, then both of the top seeds in that group would have lost. I'm really looking forward to this group's next card, which I believe is going to be in England. You'll have Beckett against Williams, both guys undefeated, with Beckett fighting in front of his home crowd. You just know that he's going to be feeling invincible. He's going to want to prove that his victory last night wasn't just a fluke. He's going to take some confidence from the way Willaims fought last night, also. I think that has the potential to be a great bout. Then you've got Johnson and Valentino. Doesn't matter what Johnson said last night. I think he'll be much better prepared for the next fight. Valentino got robbed against Williams, so he'll be even hungrier against Johnson. Neither one of those guys will want to fall to 0-2. Man, I'm really looking forward to those two bouts." HBF President Michael Vincennes reinforced the point he had made back in late November, before the tournament had even started. "Remember what I said?" smiled Vincennes. "Everyone was giving the HBF grief about leaving Rocky Marciano out of the World Championship tournament. I made the point then, and I'll make it again right now. Who knows how well these young men will fight once they climb into the ring? Last night, Joe Beckett proved that the most important attributes that the winner of this tournament will possess are courage and determination. I think more credit should be given to Joe Beckett for the way he fought against Jack Johnson. It was a thrill to watch." Riddick Bowe, the #5 seed in the World Championship tournament, was loathe to kick his friendly rival while down. "It's kinda sad for him," Bowe sighed. "You know, Jack's a very visible brother, you know? He's a celebrity, moreso than any other fighter in this tournament. Even more than me. I think that Jack stretched himself a bit thin with all these outside things. Different people always wanting to be "seen" with him. Don't worry, he knows he let his fans down. He knows that he'll have to train twenty times harder for the next fight." Johnson could not be reached today, most likely bunkered down to wait out the storm of public criticism... Last edited by kenyan_cheena; 04-29-2005 at 06:27 PM.