Thanks to Luke Thomas of MMA Nation, who is in DC this week and part of the media force out for Saturday's big Amir Khan vs Lamont Peterson event, we've got a lot of extra content coming your way today and through the rest of the week. We'll start off here with former two-division champion Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, a DC native and legend who was voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame this week, and will be inducted next summer.
On how it felt to get the Hall of Fame call:
"Oh man, I'm walking on cloud nine. I just can't imagine that this day his really come, and I'm really excited. The Hall of Fame, they called me, they said, 'We're gonna let everybody know at one o'clock. We're tallying up the votes.' And I was like, 'Well make sure you count the votes by hand. I don't want a miscount and we gotta go back.' But they gave me a call around 12:59. I was like, 'Wow. Who is this?' It was a message. And they were like, 'We just wanna leave this message,' and I was like, 'What?' And I just ran up and down the street, like I was a crazy man."
[ Related: Hearns, Johnson, Roach Elected to Hall ]
On if he feels like DC's greatest ever:
"No, I think there was a lot of other guys who paved the way for me. I'm just one that made it. We had a lot of other good fighters. I could say my brother I think was better than me. But I think I took it to a whole other level."
On his Hall of Fame company:
"To be in a class with Tommy Hearns? I mean, Freddie Roach, one of the best trainers right now in the world? I couldn't ask for more. I'm just glad the writers were able to see what was going on and voted for me."
On his proudest achievement in his career:
"I fought Alberto Jimenez, went straight to 12 rounds, I beat him in LA. They wasn't giving me a chance."
On Seth Mitchell vs Timur Ibragimov:
"I've watched Seth. He's a rising star. I think he's got all the attributes to become heavyweight champion. Of course I'm rooting for him, because I don't think Washington, DC, ever had a heavyweight champion."
On Amir Khan vs Lamont Peterson:
"Lamont's in a tough fight, but I think if he uses his boxing skills, and boxes him, it can be a very interesting fight. I really think, to be honest, Amir Khan is overlooking him. ... When you've got a guy who's fighting in his hometown, he's gonna give you his all. I just spoke to him and I told him, 'Make sure whatever you have, you leave it all in the ring. These opportunities don't come by but once in a lifetime.'"