Fight Preview: Glen Johnson v. Yusaf Mack
by Scott Christ on Feb 5, 2010 9:37 AM EST
in Boxing Fight Previews
22 comments
When the January 30 fight between Shane Mosley and Andre Berto was canceled, its undercard went with it. Kind of hard to headline in Vegas with Glen Johnson-Yusaf Mack, after all, especially with no TV.
But the fights go on. The scrap between David Rodela and Eloy Perez wound up moved a day to January 29 on another Golden Boy card in Vegas, with Perez winning a 10-round decision. Lucas Matthysse-Vivian Harris moved to February 20. Sergio Mora decided he could probably use some more time off.
The biggest of the undercard fights was to pit Glen Johnson (49-13-2, 33 KO) and Yusaf Mack (28-2-2, 17 KO) in an IBF light heavyweight eliminator. That fight is now a key part of tonight's ESPN2 Friday Night Fights from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Johnson, 41, is coming off of the widest and clearest loss of his career since his 1997 TKO loss to Bernard Hopkins (his first loss), a 12-round blowout where he was dominated by Chad Dawson in Connecticut. That November bout was a rematch of a hotly-contested April 2008 fight between the two, but didn't look much like their first meeting at all. The aging Johnson was made to look old and slow by Dawson, the first time that Johnson started looking like he was slowing down.
Was it just Dawson's speed and youth that did it?
30-year-old Mack is on a five-fight win streak since moving up to 175 pounds. He had lost two bouts at 168, one to big-punching Alejandro Berrio and the other to Librado Andrade. Mack was the first to knock Andrade down, putting him on the canvas with one of the biggest haymakers you'll ever see connect in pro boxing.
The best win of Mack's career came almost a year ago to the day, when on February 6, 2009, Mack scored a minor upset over Chris Henry to vault himself into real contention, or close to it anyway. The fight itself was a bit disappointing. On this winning streak, Mack has changed his style a bit to make himself more of a counter puncher, which keeps him largely out of those wild brawls like he had against Andrade.
Mack last fought in May of '09, beating DeAndrey Abron in Florida.
As for Johnson, ignored in all his hanging around and toughness is the fact that, if you want to get right down to it, he does not have a big win since his 2004 upset of Antonio Tarver. You can certainly argue he should have had his hand raised in his last fight with Clinton Woods (2006) and his first fight with Dawson (2008), but his only on-the-sheet wins since beating Tarver are over trial horses, fringe contenders and journeymen, the best of which is either an old Montell Griffin in 2007 or Daniel Judah last year.
A win over Mack would be Johnson's best in over a half a decade. The questions are pretty simple:
- Is Yusaf Mack really good enough to beat even an older, fading Glen Johnson?
- Does Glen Johnson have enough left to beat Yusaf Mack?
It's a tough call, and it's a fight where I'm having some serious problems picking a winner -- not because I care about being wrong picking fights, but because I'm not too sure about either of the questions above. Just for kicks, I'm going to say Mack takes a close decision, and Johnson complains afterward.
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Here’s something I always wondered – how many of Glen Johnson’s defeats were certifiable robberies? He claims he only lost to B-Hop and Dawson. I’m trying to hunt out some of his fights at SMW, but I’m just wondering what others think about the legitimacy of his defeats.
I thought he won the first Dawson fight.
I had no vested interest either way, but I watched the fight with some buddies (it was on the Tarver/Woods undercard), and we all scored it for Johnson clearly.
Er… having a mental block now…. which other fights does he say he was robbed in? (Apart from the obvious “All of them”… I once heard a mate say that Glen Johnson is the only fighter in the sport who would moan about a robbery if he was awarded a split decision win….)
Some people are acting like Pacquiao should be expected to have just gone, "Yeah sure, let’s do something I’ve never done before because your dad made some dumbass baseless comment."
(SC, 28/12/09; http://www.badlefthook.com/2009/12/27/1221143/mayweather-pacquiao-update-bob#comments)
Sheika, for one
Let’s put it this way though – there were a lot of close fights that he’s been in, and not one of them has gone his way, other than maybe Woods (all three fights were close and he went 1-1-1).
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
I’ve heard people say the Ottke loss was actually a legit loss, but Ottke’s another guy where his fights can be hard to score.
I probably could find that fight if I hunted, but my motivation for watching Ottke fights is somewhat lacking…
I haven't heard many people call the Ottke fight a robbery
The ones I’ve heard as accused of being robberies were Dawson I, Judah 1, the Woods fights, Sheika, Branco, Vanderpool, Kiwanuka and Gonzalez.
I’ve seen Dawson, Judah and the Woods fights and I wouldn’t classify any of them as a robbery. All three were close, and in the case of Judah and Woods, it was in good part because Johnson looked pretty lethargic in those fights (although the 97-93 Judah card was absurd). I’ve also seen Hopkins, Tarver II, Dawson II and Sosa, and those guys beat him fair and square.
The others, who knows. Everyone I know who’s seen the Sheika says that one was questionable. I’ve heard Kiwakuna was basically that Johnson fought with completely the wrong style. The others I just don’t know enough about to say one way or the other.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Not many flat-out robberies, I’d say, but a lot of close fights which, as Brick noted, have really just never gone his way on the cards.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Feb 5, 2010 10:09 AM EST up reply actions
For Anyone In The UK With ESPN
this card is on saturday afternoon at 2.45pm.
by Matt (Yorkshire) on Feb 5, 2010 10:06 AM EST reply actions
I Can Get
nearly 3-1 on on a Mack points win over here.I might go with your tentative pick,SC.
by Matt (Yorkshire) on Feb 5, 2010 10:12 AM EST reply actions
If Mack wins, it WILL be on points
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
I'd say the chances of a stoppage are virtually nil in this one
Although Mack has had fights where he’s just exhausted himself to the point of collapsing, so I guess that could happen.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
I haven’t seen much of Mack to be honest.I think i saw a bit of the Chris Henry win.Johnson age has got to be a factor in his fights anytime soon.
Mack seems to have been on the periphery of the top 10-15 at 168-175 for a few years now.
Both his losses were TKO’s though.I don’t see Johnson getting stopped but not so sure about Mack.
by Matt (Yorkshire) on Feb 5, 2010 10:25 AM EST reply actions
His TKOs were interesting
The one by Andrade, Mack was winning the fight but completely gassed out, and when he gassed out, Andrade mowed him over.
The one against Berrio is a classic. Probably should have made my best KOs of the 2000’s list, but I forgot about it. Berrio litterally lunged in, kissed Mack on the top of the head, and then pulled back and wiped him out with a big hook. But you’re right that ain’t happening in this one.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
If You Read
my comment again you will see that i said i wasn’t sure about Mack lasting the distance,which he didn’t.
You said he would.
I fact,it happened exactly how you said it wouldn’t,as it had in his other losses.
by Matt (Yorkshire) on Feb 6, 2010 8:04 AM EST up reply actions
Looking At Boxrec
Bernard Hopkins is the only fighter to ever stop Glen Johnson.
Another scalp for Bernard to add to his long list.
by Matt (Yorkshire) on Feb 5, 2010 10:37 AM EST reply actions
I think Johnson thought that was a robbery, too.....
Some people are acting like Pacquiao should be expected to have just gone, "Yeah sure, let’s do something I’ve never done before because your dad made some dumbass baseless comment."
(SC, 28/12/09; http://www.badlefthook.com/2009/12/27/1221143/mayweather-pacquiao-update-bob#comments)
Johnson, 41, is coming off of the widest and clearest loss of his career
i think hopkins would have something to say about that.
"Newspapermen ask dumb questions. They look up at the sun and ask if it is shining."
-Sonny Liston
.
That was actually supposed to read something like “the widest and clearest loss of his career since Bernard Hopkins beat him in 1997.” I’m dynamite this morning.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Feb 5, 2010 11:22 AM EST up reply actions
Mack has improved so much since the Andrade defeat
Johnson’s been going down, Dawson’s been improving, so that’s why the defeat was wider, but as we know by rematch scoring (Lewis-Holyfield as example) if the first fight was a ‘robbery’ the one that’s robbed gets sympathy rounds.
Mack by majority decision
I'm rooting for Johnson
Mostly because I REALLY want to see Johnson-Cloud, which could be a great fight.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
I'm rooting for Mack
because the division needs fresh faces and he’s a good guy! Mack-Cloud/Johnson-Cloud, there’s only one winner, and that’s the fans. We’ve been given a great elimiantor folks, make the most of it, this is a once in a blue moon occasion.
There's no way Mack would have been able to beat Cloud
Cloud is the epitome of the fighter Mack struggles against.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
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