- 7 weeks ago
Junior Jones defends his WBA Bantamweight Title against John Michael Johnson in a rematch in the first fight of the TVKO HBO PPV undercard of Holyfield-Moorer.
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00:00:00.
00:00:02.
00:00:04.
00:00:22.
00:00:24.
00:00:28.
00:00:29His record is flawless.
00:00:3134 wins, no defeats, 30 knockouts.
00:00:35Oh, that's how he goes!
00:00:38He is the number one heavyweight contender in the world.
00:00:42He is one of the strongest southpaws the sport has ever seen.
00:00:46The world has a solid lift, and Mike White goes down less than a minute into the fight.
00:00:53There's that left hand you talked about.
00:00:55He is the division's hardest puncher.
00:00:59He is mighty.
00:01:01He is strong.
00:01:02He is forceful.
00:01:04And Horner scores twice with the uppercut, and Stewart is down again.
00:01:08He has...
00:01:12his name.
00:01:21Tonight, Michael Horner, a source of magnificent power, will attempt to become the next heavyweight champion of the world.
00:01:29He is the holder of two heavyweight titles.
00:01:34Few athletes have ever exhibited so much heart and determination.
00:01:37He is a competitor who refuses to accept defeat.
00:01:43And just like that, the champion struggles to stay on his feet.
00:01:49What a heart by Holyfield.
00:01:51Look at Holyfield.
00:01:53What a warrior.
00:01:55Reversing the tide of the battle, the champion now has bone wobbling.
00:01:59And just like that, the champion struggles to stay on his feet.
00:02:02What a heart by Holyfield.
00:02:06Look at Holyfield.
00:02:08What a warrior.
00:02:11Reversing the tide of the battle, the champion now has bone wobbling.
00:02:17He is courageous.
00:02:21He is persevering.
00:02:22He is defiant.
00:02:24For the second year in a row, they fought the fight of the year.
00:02:28He has...
00:02:31his name...
00:02:33Evander Holyfield, a symbol of will who has finally been acknowledged as the best heavyweight
00:02:47in boxing.
00:02:49The power to destroy.
00:02:53The will to win.
00:02:55Tonight, they clash.
00:02:57As Evander Holyfield defends his heavyweight crown against Michael Moore.
00:03:18We are live from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, where TVKO presents The Will to Win,
00:03:25The Power to Destroy.
00:03:27Up first, it'll be Junior Jones defending his WBA bantamweight title against John Michael
00:03:33Johnson.
00:03:34And that'll be followed by the IBF Junior Lightweight Championship between title holder
00:03:38John John Molina and his opponent, Gregorio Vargas.
00:03:42And then in our main event, the number one contender, Michael Moore, matches his power
00:03:47against the will of heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.
00:03:52And it's all brought to you by Budweiser.
00:03:55Proud to be your Bud.
00:03:58Well, it has been an unusually warm week here in Las Vegas, Nevada.
00:04:02Temperatures reached 97 degrees two days ago, the hottest in 56 years.
00:04:07But mercifully, Mother Nature has relented.
00:04:09Today, a cool temperature of 87 degrees.
00:04:12And that's welcome news for the near-capacity crowd that's expected here at Caesars to take
00:04:17in an evening of championship boxing.
00:04:19And good evening, everyone.
00:04:22I'm James Brown.
00:04:23Well, our boxing slate of championship fights tonight begins with a bout featuring an exciting
00:04:28young fighter by the name of Poison Junior Jones.
00:04:31He's a native of Brooklyn, New York, about whom greatness has been predicted for some years
00:04:35now.
00:04:35He has beaten the streets of New York and has beaten the path to the top, and that's a position
00:04:40he's expected to occupy for quite some while.
00:04:43The next bout showcases John John Molina, the pride of Puerto Rico, whose Hessian work
00:04:48ethic and marvelous condition has made him a formidable champion who is willing to go anywhere
00:04:52to fight anyone.
00:04:53And then the spotlight turns on the heavyweights as WBA and IBF title holder Evander Holyfield
00:05:00defends his title against a man who says that he will become the first-ever Southpaw heavyweight
00:05:05champion of the world.
00:05:07So sit back and relax and enjoy what should be a hard-hitting action tonight coming your
00:05:11way on TVKO.
00:05:13And right now, we take you downstairs to our championship announced crew, George Foreman,
00:05:17Larry Merchant, and Jim Lampley.
00:05:20All right.
00:05:20Thank you very much, James Brown.
00:05:22We are getting ready to see three terrific championship bouts, eventually the heavyweight
00:05:27title match between Evander Holyfield and Michael Moore, working with me, of course, former
00:05:31heavyweight champion, George Foreman.
00:05:33George, those of us who've been watching you for decades get a sense of excitement, majesty
00:05:38at a heavyweight championship fight, maybe unequaled in all of sport.
00:05:42Do you get excited, too?
00:05:43Oh, I'm equally as excited as the rest of the country is about.
00:05:45Whenever there's a heavyweight fight, who knows?
00:05:47They're naming fish after Jack Dempsey.
00:05:50It may be a great fight.
00:05:51They may name our fish after Disappointed tonight.
00:05:53There's great things happening in a heavyweight match.
00:05:55I'm just happy to be here.
00:05:56All right.
00:05:57We'll look down the road to that one eventually.
00:05:59And when we get there, it's something that's regarded by many as a mystery fight.
00:06:03Larry, one mystery to many who don't know much about Michael Moore is how a proven champion
00:06:08like Holyfield can be only a less than two-to-one favorite over Moore.
00:06:12What's the story there?
00:06:14Well, the soundbite of why Michael Moore is considered a very dangerous challenger is this.
00:06:21He's young.
00:06:22He's hungry.
00:06:22He's unbeaten.
00:06:23He's a very good puncher.
00:06:26And he's that rare exotic bird known as a right-handed southpaw.
00:06:31But there is an assumption behind those odds that is the real story.
00:06:35The assumption is that Evander Holyfield is at that stage and age when champions sometimes
00:06:43begin to decline.
00:06:45He's coming off a very emotional and physically draining fight in his rematch with Riddick Bowe.
00:06:52He's won all the fights and all the championships to be won.
00:06:55He's made all the money there is to be made, and there's a sense that he is becoming vulnerable.
00:07:01Jim, in USA Today, there was a poll of 21 media wretches, 14 picked Holyfield, 7 picked
00:07:10Moore by a knockout of all things.
00:07:13Even in my primitive boxing math, that's two-to-one.
00:07:17Still two-to-one.
00:07:18That's right.
00:07:18But first, the 118-pound championship fight, and we've got a chance to see a young man in
00:07:23Poison Jr. Jones, ranked by many as one of the top six or seven fighters pound-for-pound
00:07:28in the world.
00:07:28What about Jones?
00:07:30Well, Jones appears to be one of those freaks of nature who comes along every couple of decades.
00:07:36He looks like a smaller version of Tommy Hearns, almost like shoulder pads under his skin,
00:07:42enormous shoulders, the shoulders of perhaps a well-o-weight or a small middleweight.
00:07:47And yet he is just a bantamweight, way down at 115 pounds, 117 pounds or so.
00:07:54And one of the interesting things, Jim, is that he is among a whole slew of American little
00:08:01giants that is virtually a revolution.
00:08:04It's almost a golden age of little men emerging in America, challenging the fighters from the
00:08:11Orient, challenging the fighters from South America.
00:08:14And Junior Jones is one of the best of them.
00:08:16Indeed.
00:08:17We'll get ready to see him against John Michael Johnson.
00:08:19I know you get excited for a heavyweight championship fight.
00:08:21You told us that.
00:08:23Bantamweights are about the size of one of your arms.
00:08:25You like this, too?
00:08:26I like that.
00:08:27If you're going to be a great boxer, who are you going to learn it from?
00:08:29Not the heavyweight.
00:08:30You've got to have a teacher.
00:08:31He's got to be a bantamweight, lightweight, things of that nature.
00:08:33So you've got to be equally excited about these fighters.
00:08:36All right.
00:08:36We get ready for the 118-pound championship bout between champion Poison Jr. Jones.
00:08:42There he is, a fighter out of New York who was once one of the mainstays of the Madison
00:08:47Square Garden boxing operation.
00:08:49The garden is now dark for boxing.
00:08:51So we're going to see more of Junior Jones in Vegas and out around the country.
00:08:54The record, as you see, 32-0 with 22 knockouts.
00:08:58His opponent, John Michael Johnson, from San Antonio, Texas, is a young man whom Jones
00:09:05fought five years ago in what was only the third fight of Junior Jones' career, the tenth
00:09:11of John Michael Johnson's.
00:09:13Since that time, Johnson has gotten new management, a new trainer, and is much better prepared,
00:09:18he says, for a test like this one.
00:09:21A title shot against Poison Jr. Jones.
00:09:26No longer the wild kid, he says, who once helped burn down a school when he was seven
00:09:32years old.
00:09:35Tale of the tape for these 218-pound fighters.
00:09:39Surprisingly, they are equal in height at 5'7", although, as you'll see when they face each
00:09:44other in the ring, Jones presents by far the bigger picture and has an eight-inch reach
00:09:48advantage.
00:09:49Punch stat numbers, Larry.
00:09:52Here's a profile of how active these fighters are, and the numbers are very similar, as
00:09:58you can see.
00:10:01Jabs.
00:10:03That's where Jones has a distinct edge, again because of that reach advantage.
00:10:10And the rules of the bout with our unofficial ringside scorer, Harold Letterman.
00:10:14Harold?
00:10:14Junior Jones and John Michael Johnson will box tonight using the rules of the World Boxing
00:10:20Association.
00:10:21Twelve rounds.
00:10:22There is no standing eight count, but the three knockdown rule is in effect.
00:10:27You can be saved by the bell in the last round only.
00:10:30Only the referee can stop the fight, and in case a cut is caused by an accidental headbutt,
00:10:34and that cut causes the fight to be stopped.
00:10:37We go to the scorecards.
00:10:38If the three rounds have been completed, before that, it's a technical draw.
00:10:42Jim?
00:10:43Right now, let's go up to ring announcer Michael Buffer for the pre-fight introductions.
00:10:47Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, and welcome to Caesar's Palace here in Las Vegas, Nevada,
00:10:54where tonight, main events monitor, in association with your undisputed, undefeated king of beers,
00:11:01Bud Weiser.
00:11:02Proud to be your Bud.
00:11:04Present an evening of world championship boxing.
00:11:08This belt is sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, also sanctioned by the World
00:11:12Boxing Association, Supervisor at ringside for the WBA is Mary Sleet.
00:11:17The three judges assigned to score this belt on a 10-point must system at ringside are Dave Moretti,
00:11:25Patricia Jarman, and Doug Tucker.
00:11:28And when the bell rings, the man in charge of the action,
00:11:31working for the 98th time in a world title belt, referee Richard Steele.
00:11:38And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's get things started.
00:11:41This is now scheduled for 12 rounds, and it's for the WBA Bantamweight Championship of the World.
00:11:50Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner, black trunks with gold letters, and weighing in at 118 pounds.
00:11:58He's fighting out of San Antonio, Texas, and brings a professional record of 17 victories, 13 by KO,
00:12:05against four defeats, and he is currently the USBA Junior Bantamweight Champion.
00:12:11Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome the challenger, John Michael Johnson!
00:12:18And his opponent, fighting out of the red corner, wearing the red trunks with white trim, also weighing in at 118 pounds.
00:12:31From Brooklyn, New York, he brings an unblemished record of 32-0, 22 by knockout victory.
00:12:38Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the undefeated WBA,
00:12:43Champion of the World, Poison Junior Jones!
00:12:50All right, I spoke to both fighters in the dressing room, I'm questioning again, obey my commands at all times.
00:13:02Shake hands, good luck.
00:13:05Poison versus Bam Bam, sounds like a fight to me, Jim.
00:13:08Indeed, they met once before, as I mentioned, in 1989.
00:13:13It was a four-round decision for Junior Jones, a fight in which Johnson has his moments,
00:13:20but was left at the end, draped over the ropes, he says, the victim of a low blow.
00:13:29Poison Junior Jones works first, George Foreman, to establish what is one of the most effective jabs in any weight class.
00:13:36And undoubtedly, he's got the longer arm, so he's better use, better get started with that left jab early.
00:13:43The ubiquitous Richard Steele already warning Jones about holding behind the head while he hits.
00:13:48He'll start with the jab.
00:13:50He is also very proud of his body punching.
00:13:53John Michael Johnson is a warrior, wants to get started with one-two combinations, jab, right, cross,
00:13:59and then he wants to go to the body as well, thinking that Jones' ribcage may not have gotten much of a workout
00:14:05to this point in his career, but so far, it's been all Junior Jones.
00:14:10All because of a good left jab.
00:14:12Sometimes, if you win in a fight with a left jab, it's good to stay with it for a few rounds.
00:14:16Don't switch over just for the sake of switching over.
00:14:23Left hook over the top, missed by Johnson.
00:14:28Jones, content so far to dominate most of the action with his jab.
00:14:31When you get a close look at John Michael Johnson in the corner,
00:14:46you'll notice that his nose goes in two or three different directions.
00:14:49In our meeting with him yesterday, Larry Merchant asked him about the nose,
00:14:53and Johnson essentially said,
00:14:55It's a mess. I'll get it fixed when my boxing career is over.
00:15:02Sometimes boxing can fix it back up.
00:15:05Well, turn in the right direction.
00:15:08Junior might be just the guy for that kind of surgery.
00:15:10Johnson likes to be aggressive and thought he could here,
00:15:31but so far in the first round, he's been reduced to a defensive fighter
00:15:35by the precise jab and right cross of Junior Jones.
00:15:40The thing about Junior Jones, he's giving a little,
00:15:43ah, ah, with the jab.
00:15:45Sometimes that takes the, after three rounds, you can't jab anymore.
00:15:49Beat up your throat, takes a lot of the wind out of you.
00:15:54Archie Moore would say,
00:15:55Be a solid assassin.
00:15:57Two solid lefts and a right cross.
00:16:01Johnson backs up into the corner.
00:16:03Jones goes downstairs to work the body.
00:16:08And the Monica Sellis grunt notwithstanding,
00:16:11it has been an excellent first round for Poison Junior Jones.
00:16:16Now Johnson gets his chance against the ropes,
00:16:19tries to use it with a right to the body and a couple of uppercuts,
00:16:22and lands a left as the first round ends.
00:16:27Take a deep breath.
00:16:33Jake, I'm not doing anything wrong.
00:16:36You understand me?
00:16:38The guy's left eye, this is only the first round,
00:16:41the guy's left eye is already swollen.
00:16:44You understand me?
00:16:45And that's from those hard jabs you're throwing.
00:16:47And you're working, you're switching to the body real good.
00:16:50Deal?
00:16:50Hey.
00:16:52A long deep breath.
00:16:53Listen, listen, the guy's firing right here.
00:16:58His right hand is way down here.
00:17:00You gotta step in close and dig, son of a bitch.
00:17:02Get that jaw.
00:17:03Trick him in a jaw.
00:17:04Two or three shots.
00:17:05Two or three shots.
00:17:08Don't stop the jab, because it's gonna bust him up.
00:17:11My keg is three or four rounds.
00:17:13Right?
00:17:13This doesn't seem to be a fair fight.
00:17:17I think they ought to make Junior Jones take the shoulder pads out.
00:17:20Round two, WBA Bantamweight Championship fight
00:17:31between Junior Jones, the champion,
00:17:33and John Michael Johnson, the challenger.
00:17:36The shoulder pads, as Larry referred to them,
00:17:38are the muscles in Junior Jones' outsized Bantamweight shoulders.
00:17:43The comparisons to Tommy Hearns as a welterweight,
00:17:47Bob Foster as a light heavyweight,
00:17:49Kid Chocolate,
00:17:50some other fighters who simply looked bigger than their weight class
00:17:54would have given them a right to look.
00:17:55That's true, and they've got big shoulders.
00:17:58Fighting days are over, they're gonna be big men.
00:18:00Now, Jones is already starting to slow down with that jab
00:18:06because of this grunting.
00:18:09He's turning into hooks
00:18:11because of the redundancy.
00:18:13Hard right hand by Jones.
00:18:15Johnson stands in, tries to appear unruffled.
00:18:21Now, George, you fought Joe Frazier a couple of times.
00:18:24He was the biggest grunter I ever heard in the ring.
00:18:27Yeah, and he grunted out like everybody else.
00:18:29Your grunting days are short.
00:18:33And all the time Joe was grunting,
00:18:35George was hitting him.
00:18:36Don't hold it.
00:18:37You know, you've got to, uh,
00:18:39guys get that habit of grunting as an amateur,
00:18:42and it's hard to break that habit.
00:18:51I think you're right, George.
00:18:52Not throwing nearly as many jabs in this round,
00:18:55but still effective with it, Junior Jones.
00:18:57He outlanded Johnson in jabs in round one.
00:19:0133 to 3.
00:19:03Left hook to the body, left hook to the body.
00:19:05Boy, it's nice to see a young fighter double up
00:19:08with a left hook to the body, right?
00:19:09He's doing everything he's supposed to.
00:19:11He's mixing up the punches, body, head, body, head.
00:19:13I don't know if we have a replay of that sequence,
00:19:16but actually it was left jab,
00:19:19left hook to the head, left hook to the body.
00:19:24Which is pretty terrific.
00:19:26Yeah, it's great stuff.
00:19:30There's a good right hand by Johnson.
00:19:32Maybe his best punch of the fight,
00:19:34chopping right hand.
00:19:35Johnson realizes that that jab,
00:19:37the jab has stopped coming so often.
00:19:39And he's moving in a little closer
00:19:41than he would in the first round.
00:19:46And as Jones misses over the top of the right hand,
00:19:49Johnson gets a chance to whack to the body
00:19:50a couple times, takes advantage.
00:19:53Don't hold it.
00:19:55Don't hold it.
00:20:00John Michael Johnson, 26-year-old father of two
00:20:03from San Antonio, has never been knocked out.
00:20:05Junior Jones, slowing the action noticeably
00:20:17after the sensational first round,
00:20:20round two coming to the close.
00:20:28Take a deep breath or relax.
00:20:32Just take a deep breath.
00:20:33Bring that bucket over, man.
00:20:34Don't make him reach for it.
00:20:35Take a deep breath.
00:20:36Jay, only one thing I don't like.
00:20:39Pull him back a little bit too much.
00:20:42And then when you throw your combination,
00:20:44you understand me?
00:20:45You're pulling out of there.
00:20:46Why don't you throw whatever you want to throw
00:20:49and then get down and look to work
00:20:51so you can hurt this guy to the body on the inside.
00:20:54Kenny, Kenny, come on.
00:20:57You gotta fight.
00:20:59That's right, good fucking round.
00:21:00A little bit earlier this evening, 5.51 p.m. Pacific time.
00:21:10The arrival of heavyweight challenger Michael Moorer
00:21:13there with the earphones over his baseball cap.
00:21:17The menacing gaze was fixed in place behind the sunglasses.
00:21:21He was wordless upon his entrance to the stadium complex here.
00:21:26Round three begins.
00:21:33Junior Jones in the red trunks out of New York, New York,
00:21:37defending his 118-pound championship against John Michael Johnson.
00:21:42Jones, 32 wins, no losses to this stage of his career.
00:21:46Working to the body, Jones is able to set up a right cross
00:21:55that landed on the point of the chin,
00:21:56maybe just a tiny bit short.
00:21:59He worked his jab a bit more effective this time.
00:22:03The fight opens up when he jabs more.
00:22:09Another right cross landed between the gloves of Johnson.
00:22:12Johnson still would like to come forward.
00:22:14But Junior just doesn't let him do it.
00:22:18Johnson is plotting.
00:22:19He's doing right, but he's not as quick as Jones.
00:22:23So a lot of times he should be moving his head a bit more.
00:22:26He's not doing it.
00:22:26He should plot with a movement.
00:22:32Well, he's been willing to try to box a little bit
00:22:34with Jones so far, George.
00:22:35It looks to me as though that's a no-win.
00:22:38He ought to try to brawl him, break his rhythm song.
00:22:41That's right.
00:22:41But you plot, and you fight three minutes every round.
00:22:45This guy is expecting you.
00:22:47Jones would like to box a minute and a half of every round.
00:22:52Punching it out.
00:22:54There's another chopping right hand over the top by Johnson.
00:22:57He's landed that effectively a couple of times.
00:23:00Pawing with the left hand,
00:23:01but already a little gun-shy in the face of Junior Jones' jab.
00:23:04Jones is 23 years old, turned 23 in December.
00:23:29So there's a long time left in his boxing career.
00:23:34This trainer, Joe Fariello, says he may wind up at 135 pounds
00:23:38as a lightweight farther down the road in his career.
00:23:41Great body punching here by Poison Junior Jones.
00:23:44A left hook seemed to stun Johnson momentarily,
00:23:55but he's in great shape, and he just keeps coming, just keeps coming.
00:23:59And here's the chopping right hand by Johnson again.
00:24:01He tries it at hand, misses over the top.
00:24:04But John Michael Johnson has found in this round
00:24:07a couple of occasions to land that right.
00:24:09And there are a couple of good left hooks inside,
00:24:11and suddenly Johnson has his best sequence so far in the bout.
00:24:15And you can see Jones held on just a little bit that time.
00:24:31Listen to me about one thing, all right?
00:24:32Just take a deep breath.
00:24:34You got it?
00:24:35Put it in your mouth, okay?
00:24:36That's it.
00:24:39Take a little rest.
00:24:42Listen, I'm trying to make this into an easy fight.
00:24:46How?
00:24:47By backing up, backing up.
00:24:49You go into your bend, you make a miss one or two,
00:24:52then they don't fire.
00:24:53And just a few minutes ago, 32 minutes after the arrival
00:24:57of challenger Michael Moore, champion Evander Holyfield
00:25:01striding into the ring where some of the biggest moments
00:25:04of his career have taken place, including, of course,
00:25:07the title regaining effort against Riddick Bowe this past November.
00:25:14Well, that last flurry at the end of the round
00:25:17gave Johnson some hope to build on.
00:25:21Let's see if he can.
00:25:21Johnson trying to make things more even in this bout with power shots.
00:25:36He's not going to land as many jabs as Junior Jones,
00:25:39who has already outlanded him in that category by punch stat numbers 71 to 70.
00:25:44So it's going to be up to Johnson to get inside
00:25:46and find a way to land that chopping right hand,
00:25:49maybe some left hooks, some body punches, and some uppercuts, George.
00:25:53That's right.
00:25:53Johnson has said, look, I'm trying to do something
00:25:55so my kids can say later on, my dad.
00:25:59Don't hold his brakes.
00:26:00My dad was tough.
00:26:01And he's showing tonight that being the best is not going to whip him.
00:26:05It's been a tough tour of duty in boxing for John Michael Johnson.
00:26:15Told us yesterday in a meeting that although he had once had an agreement
00:26:19to make as much as $7,500 and about the most he'd ever really collected
00:26:24was $2,000.
00:26:27He'll gross 20 for this.
00:26:30Johnson, for the second time, has started to lend a left jab of his own.
00:26:33And that flurry at the end of round three
00:26:43appears to have slowed Jones' assault just a little.
00:26:51If Johnson is able to get effective with a left jab,
00:26:54this can be some fight tonight.
00:26:56Right hand by Johnson.
00:27:04Staggers Jones.
00:27:05Jones goes down.
00:27:07Johnson hits him while he's down.
00:27:09Richard Steele picks up the count.
00:27:11Five.
00:27:12Seven.
00:27:13No penalty point for John Michael Johnson
00:27:15for having clearly hit Junior Jones
00:27:18while his knee was on the canvas.
00:27:19That easily could have been a penalty.
00:27:22And Richard Steele elected not to assess the penalty.
00:27:25Second time in his career that Junior Jones has been floored.
00:27:29He also went down in his championship effort
00:27:31against Julio of Columbia.
00:27:34And now Jones still in trouble
00:27:35as Johnson wails away with right hands.
00:27:39Johnson just missed that one over the top.
00:27:4140 seconds left in the round.
00:27:43Junior Jones not electing to hold on.
00:27:46Taking punishment.
00:27:49Remember that the three-knockdown rule is in effect.
00:27:53A still groggy Junior Jones firing wildly
00:27:56to try to get himself out of trouble.
00:27:58Johnson lands an uppercut.
00:28:00Bell cannot save Junior Jones.
00:28:05Johnson lands a right hand.
00:28:08Poison Junior Jones, the champion,
00:28:10backing into his corner.
00:28:12Serious trouble.
00:28:13Closing seconds of round four.
00:28:15And Junior Jones is going to survive the onslaught.
00:28:22The last time this happened to Jones,
00:28:26he fought in a cloud for five rounds
00:28:29before he woke up.
00:28:31Look.
00:28:33What happened?
00:28:34You just not fight.
00:28:36You understand what I mean?
00:28:37You just not fight.
00:28:39What you're doing is,
00:28:40you're bending, you're bending,
00:28:41and you're not doing nothing.
00:28:42You understand me?
00:28:43Now look, you better stop fighting.
00:28:45You got that?
00:28:48All you're doing is concentrating on defense
00:28:50and you're getting hit.
00:28:51You're getting hit with a good right hand.
00:28:53Okay.
00:28:53Listen to me.
00:28:54Let's take a look as bam-bam goes bam-bam.
00:28:59He stayed in there through the early onslaught
00:29:01and that right hand hurt Jones
00:29:04and then he went and put him down.
00:29:05I think he'd have gone down anyway
00:29:07without that second right hand.
00:29:09There you saw it again.
00:29:13Flush on the jaw.
00:29:15Now watch him clearly hit Jones while he's down
00:29:17and tried for a second punch
00:29:19before Steele was able to pull him off.
00:29:23Harold Letterman,
00:29:25your score after four rounds.
00:29:27Larry, three rounds to one,
00:29:28but 38 to 37, Junior Jones.
00:29:31He's barely ahead.
00:29:32I thought he won the first three rounds
00:29:33with the left jab,
00:29:34but boy, he got clocked in that fourth round.
00:29:36And I tell you, if I were Richard Steele,
00:29:38I would have positively pulled the point,
00:29:40but for John Michael Johnson
00:29:42for hitting Junior Jones when he was on the floor.
00:29:45But regardless of what happened in San Antonio
00:29:48in the Chavez-Whitaker fight last fall,
00:29:50it is not up to the judge to deduct a point
00:29:52unless Richard Steele specifically instructs them to do so.
00:29:56Absolutely correct.
00:29:57It's up to the referees.
00:29:58The referees call.
00:29:59But I'll tell you,
00:30:00that was so late it was ridiculous.
00:30:01So that was a 10-8 round for Johnson.
00:30:03Oh, absolutely a 10-8 round.
00:30:05John Michael Johnson outlanded Jones
00:30:09in power shots in round four.
00:30:11Power shots, punches other than jabs,
00:30:1337 for Johnson, only eight for Jones.
00:30:16So now the initiative belongs to John Michael Johnson.
00:30:19What does he do with it, George?
00:30:20Yeah, Johnson was able to do all of this
00:30:22because he got effective with a left jab.
00:30:25Now he's got to go back and build it all up
00:30:27and start all over again.
00:30:28If he starts wailing away,
00:30:30he's going to get behind
00:30:31because this guy doesn't mind mixing it up.
00:30:33As Larry Merchant pointed out,
00:30:41when he went down against Julio of Colombia
00:30:44in the championship fight,
00:30:46Junior Jones fought the next four or five rounds in a fog.
00:30:52He even turned to trainer Joe Fariello
00:30:53between the ninth and tenth and said,
00:30:55I can't believe I went down.
00:30:56Fariello said, Junior,
00:30:57that was five rounds ago.
00:31:00Here he looks a little more alert.
00:31:03Junior Jones is clearly being hurt by body punches now.
00:31:09Boy, he got to hand it to Johnson
00:31:10for hanging in through those first three rounds.
00:31:13That's the virtue of conditioning,
00:31:16self-confidence from having had a winning streak,
00:31:18pulling everything together.
00:31:24Remember that Jones is from New York.
00:31:27Johnson is from San Antonio,
00:31:28has trained part of his career in Arizona.
00:31:30He believed yesterday
00:31:31that the temperature in the ring,
00:31:33probably in the 80s,
00:31:35would play in his favor,
00:31:37that he might over a long period of time
00:31:39be able to wear Jones down
00:31:41and gain an advantage.
00:31:46Good left hand.
00:31:48Yes.
00:31:48Excellent left hook by Junior Jones.
00:31:52Good body shot by Jones as well.
00:31:55Settling back down
00:31:56and beginning to find his boxing tools again.
00:31:58That's true.
00:32:00Because Johnson didn't use,
00:32:01he should have used his body
00:32:03like a bowling ball
00:32:04and just stay real close to Junior.
00:32:08Sometimes you don't have to throw punches,
00:32:10just stay close like you're throwing.
00:32:11And for the moment,
00:32:17both fighters have ceased with the jab,
00:32:19although Jones still throws one occasionally.
00:32:23Jones showed his quality as a fighter
00:32:25by coming back and winning that round,
00:32:28in my judgment.
00:32:29Johnson was unable to build
00:32:32on the knockdown
00:32:33as he had built earlier
00:32:35on that flurry late in the third round.
00:32:38Junior,
00:32:38you just suck it up.
00:32:41That's what champions are all about.
00:32:43That's all spit in there.
00:32:46You've got to stop going back.
00:32:48You've got to stay right there with that jab
00:32:50and then drop your shots in off the jab.
00:32:52You understand me?
00:32:53You're punching too much going away.
00:32:55Now, you've got to pick this thing up.
00:32:57Great champions stuck this up.
00:32:59Right?
00:32:59And you're a great champion.
00:33:00You're capable of doing this.
00:33:02But you've got to do it.
00:33:03Just a minute, just a minute, just a minute.
00:33:04Don't be such a hero.
00:33:05You're ready?
00:33:08The sixth, seventh run's coming up.
00:33:11Here you see Jones at the end of the round
00:33:14building a good lead in this round
00:33:17and coming back very strongly
00:33:19after that almost disastrous fourth round.
00:33:24Incidentally, the fellow you saw
00:33:25in the corner of Johnson
00:33:27is Tony Aiella.
00:33:30Everyone remembers his son, Tony Aiella Jr.
00:33:33Great, great prospect
00:33:35from the middleweight division
00:33:36in prison on a rape conviction.
00:33:41So it's Tony Aiella Sr.
00:33:45who's training John Michael Johnson.
00:33:46And, George, you were so right.
00:33:48You talked about how Johnson
00:33:49had turned the tide with regard to jabs.
00:33:52Early in the fight, I mentioned at one point
00:33:53that Junior Jones had landed 37 of them
00:33:55to only 7 for Johnson.
00:33:57But in round 5, Johnson landed 23 jabs
00:34:00to only 7 for Jones.
00:34:03And that's what creates those quick knockdowns.
00:34:05You get a guy dazed with the jabs
00:34:08and then things start to happen good for you.
00:34:09But if you go back to winging,
00:34:12you fall behind yourself.
00:34:14So John Michael Johnson
00:34:16has shown his toughness here.
00:34:18Junior Jones has shown a lot of style
00:34:20and has also shown,
00:34:22as Larry Merchant points out,
00:34:23the professionalism to have come back
00:34:25from the knockdown
00:34:26and, at least in Larry's eyes,
00:34:28one round fought.
00:34:29Now they're in the sixth,
00:34:31moving toward the halfway point
00:34:32of this 12-round bout
00:34:34being fought in very hot weather
00:34:36here in Las Vegas.
00:34:37That's it, Junior.
00:34:37That's it.
00:34:38More combinations now from Jones.
00:34:43I think his head is thoroughly cleared
00:34:45from the damage that caused the knockdown.
00:34:48Johnson is allowing him
00:34:49to sit up a little bit too much now.
00:34:51He jabs, steps back, and sit up
00:34:53and does what he want to do.
00:34:55You can't allow him to just sit up that long.
00:34:56Once he misses you,
00:34:57jump in front of his face again.
00:34:58Should Johnson throw more jabs?
00:35:04Yeah, Johnson has got to stick with the jabs,
00:35:05but as soon as Jones hit him,
00:35:08jump right back on him
00:35:08because he's blocking most of these punches
00:35:10that you may think he's getting back in the fight with.
00:35:12They're being blocked.
00:35:14Most of them, not all of them.
00:35:17Pretty good defensive fighter,
00:35:19John Michael Johnson.
00:35:20You can see why he has never been knocked out.
00:35:22And indeed, both of those jabs blocked on the gloves,
00:35:30the third one as well.
00:35:33Johnson is getting the rhythm
00:35:34of dropping his hands here and there.
00:35:37That may not be the best thing to do.
00:35:38Good right hand over the top
00:35:54by Poison Jr. Jones.
00:35:58Under a little pressure
00:35:59and defending his title here tonight.
00:36:04Why don't you get out?
00:36:05A couple of good body shots
00:36:21and an uppercut landed inside for Johnson
00:36:23as round six came to a close.
00:36:26They're halfway done.
00:36:31We remind you, coming up next,
00:36:33before the heavyweight championship bout
00:36:34between Holyfield and Moora,
00:36:36a 130-pound championship fight
00:36:39between John John Molina
00:36:40and former featherweight champion
00:36:42moving up in weight,
00:36:44Goya Vargas of Mexico.
00:36:45Puerto Rico on the left,
00:36:47Mexico on the right.
00:36:48Two very active, tough fighters.
00:36:51This one promises to be a war
00:36:52and every ringside observer
00:36:54who's seen the two fighters
00:36:55is looking forward to it.
00:36:57Jack Nicholson at ringside
00:36:58with Brie Walker-Lampley of Los Angeles
00:37:04and Jack is celebrating his birthday today.
00:37:06We'll decline to tell you the exact age,
00:37:08but we wish him happy birthday.
00:37:11Look at that pretty lady.
00:37:12Well, she is a pretty lady,
00:37:14isn't she, George?
00:37:14Great.
00:37:15She's a pretty lady
00:37:16even when she sits with me.
00:37:18You know, everybody in the Jones camp
00:37:21has been talking about a showdown
00:37:23with another bantamweight champion
00:37:25from Texas, Orlando Canizales,
00:37:29who has defended his title
00:37:30something like 15 straight times,
00:37:33but right now he's got his hands full
00:37:35with Bam Bam Johnson.
00:37:40One of the great things about boxing, guys,
00:37:42is unlike any other sport,
00:37:44you can be behind 100 or nothing
00:37:45and you can still win with one shot.
00:37:48Jones, obviously going back to basics now
00:37:58as round seven begins,
00:37:59trying to land that jab.
00:38:01Johnson, more and more confident
00:38:03with each passing round.
00:38:05He's more than in the fight now.
00:38:08He's got a chance.
00:38:09There you go, baby.
00:38:11Hold on, baby, right now.
00:38:13Ah!
00:38:15Ah!
00:38:16Ah!
00:38:16Bam Bam Johnson continues to block
00:38:24a lot of poison Jones' jabs
00:38:26with his gloves.
00:38:28Every once in a while,
00:38:29Jones will sneak one through the guard.
00:38:30That's when he tries to follow up
00:38:32with the right hand.
00:38:34Because he can sense Johnson
00:38:35waiting to counter a right hand
00:38:37over his jab.
00:38:38So occasionally he just steps in
00:38:39with a right hand to break it up.
00:38:41Ah!
00:38:42Right hand!
00:38:42Right hand!
00:38:43Right hand!
00:38:43That's it!
00:38:44Tendency a lot of young fighters
00:38:52will have, George.
00:38:53If that jab is blocked,
00:38:54they don't try the second punch
00:38:56in the combination.
00:38:57That's true.
00:38:57You should always go through, right?
00:38:59Go through.
00:39:01Boy, now Johnson is making Jones miss.
00:39:05You're right.
00:39:05You should always follow through.
00:39:06If you miss, finish up with your combination.
00:39:09Both fighters showing good defense here in round seven.
00:39:19Able to make their opponents miss
00:39:21with head movement.
00:39:22of poison Junior Jones' 22 knockouts,
00:39:3420 were within seven rounds.
00:39:36So if Bam Bam Johnson makes it through this stanza,
00:39:40the odds favor a 12-round decision.
00:39:43I think Johnson should be a little more confident
00:39:51in the short punches.
00:39:52He just seems to think that he's got to throw
00:39:54a big, long one to make it work.
00:39:58Johnson's shown some pretty good technique,
00:40:00particularly in recent rounds,
00:40:01and now he's the one who's landing the jab.
00:40:04Tries the right hand there, just misses.
00:40:06In early rounds, Johnson wasn't able to come forward
00:40:16because Junior Jones kept him popping backward
00:40:19at the end of that jab.
00:40:20Now Michael Johnson comes forward all the time.
00:40:24Junior Jones has the big shoulders.
00:40:26Bam Bam Johnson has the big chin.
00:40:29Something to do with not allowing Bam Bam Johnson
00:40:31to jump on him.
00:40:34I got only one thing to say, Harold.
00:40:35Pace yourself, baby.
00:40:38Two more fights to go after this, okay?
00:40:43Round eight of a scheduled 12.
00:40:46You saw the punch stat numbers through seven rounds.
00:40:49Junior Johnson landing 44%.
00:40:51Check it.
00:40:52John Michael Johnson landing 44%,
00:40:54but Junior Johnson at 36%
00:40:56has thrown more than 200 more punches
00:40:59and landed more than 50 more.
00:41:03Poison Junior Jones defending his WBA
00:41:05118-pound championship.
00:41:07He's an unbeaten fighter, 32 and 0.
00:41:10Very early in his career, five years ago,
00:41:12he scored a four-round decision
00:41:14over this same opponent,
00:41:16John Michael Johnson.
00:41:17But John Michael Johnson has done
00:41:18a lot of getting better since then.
00:41:21Good body shot.
00:41:23Johnson should punch more to the body, George.
00:41:33When he does, Junior stops throwing.
00:41:35You know something?
00:41:36Jones has been in with guys bigger than him.
00:41:38He's accustomed to being knocked around the ring,
00:41:41knocked down.
00:41:42It won't change the way he feels about winning.
00:41:44Johnson better get in there
00:41:45and try to win this fight
00:41:46and forget about that knockdown.
00:41:52In case you joined us late,
00:41:55Poison Junior Jones went down in this fight
00:41:58for the second time in his career.
00:42:00The fourth-round knockdown
00:42:01provided John Michael Johnson
00:42:03with about one minute's worth of opportunity
00:42:05to try to follow up and finish up.
00:42:08And though he landed some big punches in that minute,
00:42:11he couldn't get Poison down or out of there.
00:42:25Johnson for the moment
00:42:26becoming a little bit too much
00:42:27of a stationary target
00:42:28and Jones taking advantage
00:42:30to land a couple of jabs on a left hook.
00:42:34Johnson has a good defense
00:42:35but he hasn't much head movement.
00:42:37And in the light of weight,
00:42:38you got to move that head also.
00:42:39And when he moves it,
00:42:44he tends to take it the same way all the time.
00:42:46He'll cock it to the left
00:42:47and bring it right back.
00:42:48You can time that if you watch it.
00:42:49You can easily time it.
00:42:52Whenever he throws a quick short hook,
00:42:54he hits Junior Jones.
00:42:57Throws a big one, he misses.
00:42:59Couple of good left hooks by Junior Jones.
00:43:07Another chopping right hand by Johnson.
00:43:09That's been his most effective punch.
00:43:11Left hook lands for Johnson.
00:43:13Jones backs up
00:43:14and Johnson sees his opportunity
00:43:16and tries to stop.
00:43:18That's that overhand right
00:43:19he's been waiting on all night.
00:43:21Just underneath that left jab.
00:43:27Poison Jones turns to Michael Johnson,
00:43:30John Michael Johnson, I should say,
00:43:31and says,
00:43:32don't hit me after the break.
00:43:33Come on.
00:43:33Just relax, all right?
00:43:45Take a deep breath.
00:43:46All right.
00:43:47Just relax.
00:43:48Take a deep breath.
00:43:49Junior.
00:43:49Yes.
00:43:50I'm not going to yell at you.
00:43:51I'm not.
00:43:51I want you to listen on one thing.
00:43:54When you keep on going back
00:43:56and you don't throw no punches,
00:43:58and that's what's happened.
00:44:00You understand me?
00:44:01He's getting braver and braver.
00:44:02You get inside,
00:44:05you're not really looking to work.
00:44:07After you throw your first combination,
00:44:09you're not looking to work.
00:44:10You see,
00:44:11you've got to be looking to punch.
00:44:12You've got to,
00:44:13you're going away with it.
00:44:14You've got to step with the jab.
00:44:15You've got to fire one combination.
00:44:19Okay, early in the round,
00:44:21Johnson with a short, sharp right hand,
00:44:24and later on,
00:44:27that flurry again
00:44:29near the end of the round.
00:44:31I gave that round to Johnson.
00:44:34The voice you heard
00:44:36is Jones Corner's Joe Fariello,
00:44:40another former disciple of Customato,
00:44:44worked with Customato,
00:44:46with Floyd Patterson,
00:44:48Jose Torres,
00:44:50and others.
00:44:51Most recently was well-known
00:44:54as the trainer of Mark Breland,
00:44:56as Breland attempted the long project
00:44:59of translating his fabulous amateur success
00:45:01into a viable professional career.
00:45:04Mixed success.
00:45:07Fariello is known as a great teacher
00:45:09of punching technique,
00:45:11and Jones has punching technique,
00:45:13certainly more than Johnson,
00:45:15but Johnson has a great will in there, George.
00:45:17He wants it.
00:45:18That's right.
00:45:18He reminds you of a Joe Frazier.
00:45:20He may not have it all,
00:45:21but he's going to get you all.
00:45:29Good left hand inside for Johnson.
00:45:38Another test for Jones' chin.
00:45:40He turns to referee Richard Steele
00:45:42and says,
00:45:42tell him to stop hitting me on the break.
00:45:43The way to avoid being hit on a break
00:45:50is keep your hands up at all times.
00:45:53Good right hand for Johnson.
00:46:07Poisoned Junior Jones.
00:46:11Far and away the leader in punch output.
00:46:13He's throwing many, many more punches than Johnson,
00:46:15but Johnson is getting more and more efficient
00:46:18with his blows.
00:46:21And there's the chopping right hand once again.
00:46:25Johnson beginning to land that chopping right
00:46:27with lethal accuracy.
00:46:29All night he's waited for that left jab to stop
00:46:32powering over,
00:46:33and now it has stopped,
00:46:35and he's taking control because of it.
00:46:37Excellent body shot by John Michael Johnson.
00:46:40And Junior Jones seemingly helpless
00:46:43in the face of that little chopping right in there, George.
00:46:46You know, the short punches
00:46:48are working all the magic for Johnson.
00:46:52If he continues to do that,
00:46:55it's an easy fight,
00:46:55but staying on the outside trying to get even,
00:46:57that's when the other stuff
00:46:59start to happening to you.
00:47:00Come on, pounce and get out.
00:47:01That's when Jones scores with his jab.
00:47:03Right now, Junior Jones is wobbly
00:47:05as round nine begins to come to a close.
00:47:08He's taken a lot of right hands in this round
00:47:10from John Michael Johnson.
00:47:14If you had watched the first three rounds only,
00:47:17you would have thought,
00:47:17well, this is going to be a lopsided whitewash.
00:47:20No longer is that the case.
00:47:22No longer is that the case.
00:47:27Sweeping right by Jones demonstrates
00:47:31his punches have begun to slow down.
00:47:34The closer the target,
00:47:35the better Johnson does.
00:47:38And there may be a fatigue factor
00:47:41entering into the equation now.
00:47:43Jones appears more tired.
00:47:47You don't need a deep breath.
00:47:47You're all right.
00:47:49Junior, listen to me now.
00:47:51You want to lose the title?
00:47:52No, then.
00:47:52You got three rounds to go.
00:47:55You understand me?
00:47:56Three rounds to go.
00:47:57It's just like the Julio fight.
00:47:59You got to suck it up now.
00:48:00You're going back.
00:48:01You're looking to hold on the inside.
00:48:03You're not looking to work.
00:48:04This guy is.
00:48:06You understand?
00:48:06You keep holding like that,
00:48:08he'll tear you apart.
00:48:09You've got to throw punches.
00:48:10Once again, the right hand over that lazy left
00:48:13that Jones sometimes puts down by his side.
00:48:17And Johnson has been able to capitalize on it.
00:48:21This is one tough kid who is in great shape.
00:48:28Our punches in round number nine.
00:48:31Hooks, crosses, uppercuts.
00:48:33Johnson outlanded Junior Jones 32-10.
00:48:37And you heard Fariello putting the pressure on his charge,
00:48:48saying you have got to snap it up
00:48:50if you're going to hold on to this title.
00:49:02Champion in the red trunks.
00:49:04Challenger in the black.
00:49:05Junior Jones has never been beaten.
00:49:19Jones' punches now wide and winging.
00:49:22Johnson, shorter, more economical.
00:49:26Jones lands the left there.
00:49:27You know that right hand is over that left jab.
00:49:30He's waited for it all night and is paying off for him.
00:49:32He should be proud of it.
00:49:33His son is going to want an autograph from him tonight.
00:49:37Johnson is doing a fine job.
00:49:40Come on, come on, come on, come on.
00:49:55Johnson, he has to be very careful
00:49:56not to get overconfident now.
00:50:02Because?
00:50:03Because Junior Jones can really punch.
00:50:06A good right hand on a left hook,
00:50:08he'll have things back in his hands.
00:50:13Keep everything short, Johnson should.
00:50:15Chopping right hand to the back of the head by Johnson.
00:50:23Still hurts when you get it on the back of the head.
00:50:27The short punches for Johnson are really great.
00:50:29Jones clearly want to stay on the outside
00:50:31and land combinations behind the left jab.
00:50:35Said about this moment that Junior Jones
00:50:37would like for this to be a 10-round fight.
00:50:38But it's not.
00:50:40There'll be two more stanzas after this one.
00:50:52That right hand starts to land on your ear
00:50:54after two rounds.
00:50:55You can't hear anything your trainers are seeing
00:50:57in the corner anyway.
00:51:00Good sequence by Jones there.
00:51:02But still, long, looping punches.
00:51:06John Michael Johnson gets inside.
00:51:09He controls the action.
00:51:11Jones must muster the energy
00:51:13to keep throwing the jab
00:51:14and try to keep Johnson away.
00:51:15And he's got to keep the left hand up.
00:51:20Jones clearly puts both hands up
00:51:22to protect his chin.
00:51:24That's easy for an uppercut.
00:51:25You can wonder why Junior Jones
00:51:27hasn't thrown anything uppercut fashion.
00:51:41He had after 10 rounds.
00:51:43Larry, 7-3.
00:51:4496-93, Junior Jones.
00:51:47I think that John Michael Johnson
00:51:49really listened to me
00:51:50after the seventh round
00:51:51because he certainly fought
00:51:52in the eighth and the ninth.
00:51:53But unfortunately,
00:51:54I thought Junior Jones
00:51:55outboxed him in the 10th round.
00:51:57Junior's piling up a big lead.
00:51:59I think John Michael Jackson
00:52:00will need these two rounds
00:52:01to pull this out.
00:52:03Agreed.
00:52:05You guys remind me
00:52:06of that old Bible scripture,
00:52:08judge not.
00:52:09You're controlling the fight.
00:52:10The only thing you got to do.
00:52:12Drop him one more time.
00:52:13Come on, let's go.
00:52:14John, can we drop him one more time?
00:52:16Judge not less.
00:52:17He can't go up with it.
00:52:17No, I mean, this guy's winning this fight.
00:52:20Johnson is winning this fight.
00:52:22They don't think so in the corner, George,
00:52:24because the instructions
00:52:25they gave him going out was
00:52:27you must drop him one more time.
00:52:30And on Harold's scorecard
00:52:31and my scorecard,
00:52:33that's the way it looks,
00:52:34is that he has to get three points
00:52:36in these last two rounds
00:52:37to pull it out.
00:52:40I think we can probably all agree,
00:52:42we can probably all agree
00:52:43just to sum this up,
00:52:45that Jones probably has the edge
00:52:47on the scorecards at this moment,
00:52:49but Johnson certainly has a chance,
00:52:51at least an outside chance,
00:52:52to win the fight.
00:52:53Not only that,
00:52:54Junior Jones has defended himself.
00:52:56He's no longer fighting.
00:52:57He's strictly in defense of himself.
00:53:00Any judge should see that.
00:53:02Certainly can see it
00:53:03in the last 10 seconds
00:53:04as Johnson has gone back
00:53:05to landing,
00:53:06chopping right hand.
00:53:07Junior Jones doesn't have his legs.
00:53:08He's got no legs anymore.
00:53:10He's in trouble
00:53:10and he's going to go down again.
00:53:12Okay, that's the second time
00:53:13you hit him when he's down.
00:53:14Four, five, seven, seven.
00:53:16So Richard Steele points out
00:53:17that it's the second time
00:53:19Johnson has hit Jones
00:53:20while he was down,
00:53:21but he still did not deduct
00:53:23a penalty point.
00:53:24Wait, time.
00:53:25The second time.
00:53:27One point.
00:53:27Now he's going to deduct
00:53:29a penalty point.
00:53:30And that could cost him the fight.
00:53:33Get back in your corner.
00:53:36Richard Steele is right
00:53:38in my judgment.
00:53:39That was a very big penalty point.
00:53:41It was indeed the second time
00:53:43in the fight
00:53:43that Johnson had hit Jones
00:53:45while he was down.
00:53:46There's been one knockdown
00:53:47here in the 11th.
00:53:48Remember that the three-knockdown rule
00:53:50is in effect.
00:53:53And Steele stops it.
00:53:56I thought that was
00:53:58a quick stoppage
00:53:59of a champion.
00:54:01He deserved the right
00:54:02to be knocked out
00:54:03to lose his title.
00:54:06George, you disagree.
00:54:07Hey, this guy won this fight
00:54:09from the opening bell
00:54:10when Junior Jones
00:54:10was throwing all his punches.
00:54:12He was a head-on punch
00:54:13in my mind,
00:54:14and he won it clearly
00:54:14by a knockout.
00:54:15Hallelujah!
00:54:16If you're from Texas.
00:54:21I think two things
00:54:23got to Junior Jones.
00:54:24The heat
00:54:25and the relentlessness
00:54:26of John Michael Johnson.
00:54:28I love y'all!
00:54:29Junior Jones,
00:54:30a fine fighter.
00:54:31He was doing everything,
00:54:32but he threw too much away
00:54:33in this desert
00:54:34on that hard left jab.
00:54:36He put too much power
00:54:37into it.
00:54:37And in the fourth round,
00:54:38he didn't have any strength.
00:54:40I remember a night
00:54:41many years ago here, George,
00:54:43when a relatively unknown
00:54:45fighter named Stevie Cruz
00:54:46upset a world champion
00:54:48named Barry McGuigan
00:54:49when McGuigan simply
00:54:50gave out in the heat.
00:54:52Cruz, who was from Texas,
00:54:54knew it would happen.
00:54:55Johnson told us yesterday
00:54:56that he would win this fight
00:54:58just like Stevie Cruz.
00:55:01San Antonio!
00:55:04San Antonio indeed.
00:55:05Let's take another look
00:55:06at the end of the fight.
00:55:09Now remember that
00:55:10Jones has already been
00:55:11knocked down in the round
00:55:12and is wobbly
00:55:13as Johnson attacks.
00:55:15He had no legs
00:55:16after those first couple
00:55:17of knockdowns.
00:55:17That first knockdowns.
00:55:18He's been defending himself
00:55:19all night.
00:55:20And this guy's just sizing him up
00:55:22to throw that right hand
00:55:23and he delivers on time.
00:55:27So another stoppage,
00:55:29which will long be talked about
00:55:31by referee Richard Steele.
00:55:34He had the courage
00:55:35to deduct the point
00:55:36and he had the courage
00:55:38then to make the stoppage.
00:55:39And for the official particulars,
00:55:41let's go up to Michael Buffer.
00:55:43Ladies and gentlemen,
00:55:44referee Richard Steele
00:55:46has to step in
00:55:47and call a halt to the bout.
00:55:49The official time,
00:55:50one minute,
00:55:5121 seconds
00:55:52of round number 11.
00:55:54The winner by TKO
00:55:56and new WBA Bantamweight champion
00:56:00of the world,
00:56:02John Michael Bambam Johnson.
00:56:06Ladies and gentlemen,
00:56:14round of applause,
00:56:16please,
00:56:16for this young man from New York,
00:56:18only his first to beat.
00:56:19He's still in the middle of the pay.
00:56:21Let's hear it for him.
00:56:22Poison,
00:56:23Leo,
00:56:23boom!
00:56:24Boom!
00:56:24a stunned crowd at ringside watching a massive upset poison jr jones ranked by many as one of
00:56:42the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport whacked out in the 11th round by john michael
00:56:48johnson final punch stat numbers jones according to george foreman wasted too much energy throwing
00:56:55those 820 punches johnson waited for his chances wound up with a 50 connect percentage and in power
00:57:02punches the edge again belonged to johnson who landed 190 power shots in the bout 60 more 59 to be
00:57:12accurate more than poison jr jones that ultimately was the difference larry merchant stands by with
00:57:18the winner
00:57:23all right bam bam johnson congratulations champ what happened in after three rounds in which you seem to
00:57:32be outclassed you hurt him badly in the fourth round you described your feelings about the fight at that
00:57:37time well um i knew i could take him deep deep into the fight i knew i could take him on i wasn't getting
00:57:42hurt with none of his punches i was trying to slip more of his punches try to peel him out and i did
00:57:47the best i can from not getting hit but then i hurt my shoulder when he caught me with i think a hook in
00:57:52my shoulder and it started hurting that's why i like him throwing but i was still strong enough to
00:57:56throw it and hurt him all right we're going to take a look at the end of the fight were you a little
00:58:00surprised that they stopped the fight when they did well not really he was hurt it was just a matter of
00:58:06time if i could um if my shoulder wasn't hurting that bad you know it was hurting it still hurts right
00:58:12now i don't know why i got hit but um i mean why was the right hand so open for you well he dropped his
00:58:18jab i i practiced i saw his i saw his tape as you can see he never picks up his jab he never picks up
00:58:23his jab his hand was always low so i i started cutting up his jab off his punches boom right there your
00:58:28corner told you that you needed a knockdown to win to win the fight before that round definitely because
00:58:34if i take him to go to distance i was easily going to lose if i was behind points i mean it could be
00:58:38close but he would get his decision because he's the world champion when the referee took the point
00:58:43away from you did you think you had blown the knockdown no definitely not i wasn't going to come
00:58:47back even devastated more i knew i knew i had to knock him down again or hurt him because being a
00:58:52point induction i knew i had to come back at him i knew congratulations you've come a long way
00:58:56and a final look at the champion john michael johnson we told you never before in his career had he
00:59:15cashed more than 2 000 bucks after a fight tonight he was getting 20. the next paycheck will be bigger
00:59:21for the new wba bantamweight champion of the world he's got a wife at home with two kids in san antonio
00:59:27and she's bound to be ecstatic about that and now a classy poison junior jones also agrees to an
00:59:34interview larry junior he kept hitting you with that right hand why well i just i doesn't do the right
00:59:43things that i you know i have no excuse um i i i just didn't do the right things were you dropping that
00:59:49hand when you got in close with him where was it just carelessness or was he wearing you down
00:59:55no i think i think it was more i was just being careless i wasn't really i wasn't thinking what i
01:00:00should ever think it wasn't that um i was just being careless you pulled yourself together after
01:00:04the first knockdown what about in the last round do you think you could have gone on i think i could
01:00:12have went on um you know this is part of boxing you know um you get hit with good shots you just
01:00:17got to come back i think uh i would have came back thank you very much junior we'll be seeing you
01:00:22again richard steel tell us your thoughts about what happened in that last round well the last round
01:00:29you know the young man was hurt and uh it was no way for him to go about to go down and be seriously
01:00:36hurt i thought i stopped him for uh taking further punishment you know all right let's take a look at
01:00:41what happened at the end of the fight you took a point away from johnson because it was the second
01:00:46time he had hit him when he was down but you thought at that time that the champion jones was
01:00:52really out of it yes he was getting very weak for some reason uh you know he i thought he came in
01:00:58with maybe the weight uh losing the weight hurting but he was very weak from the middle of the fight
01:01:05thank you thank you very much richard thank you and now up to james brown all right larry thank you
01:01:11very much and a stunned crowd indeed and a number of other folks are stunned and we're going to talk
01:01:15to a couple of them in just a second here but john michael johnson mentioned that the second time in
01:01:19his bout with junior jones would in fact be the charm and it proved to be the case he said he watched
01:01:24plenty of tape from that first match and that he was a far different fighter did not have enough
01:01:28weapons in his arsenal he had enough tonight he waited for the opportunity and capitalized on it
01:01:33all right a couple of guys whose expert opinions we can certainly draw on right now
01:01:37not only to talk about the match that was just completed but the upcoming heavyweight championship
01:01:41match two guys who are considered to be the best pound for pound champions in the sport today
01:01:47sweet pea pernell whitaker well-to-weight extraordinaire good to see you again it's good to be here it's
01:01:51lovely afternoon um kind of sad for junior jones but uh i'm sure he can pick his head up and come back
01:01:57now you know junior jones quite well i guess quick recap what were the major mistakes he made well first of
01:02:02all you know once you get hurt you know once you um you're you're kind of queasy you should you should
01:02:07be able to hold on he said i tried to tell junior when i was down there to grab to hold on hold up for
01:02:12a little while clear your head you know once you're hurt you can't fight back you can't actually fight
01:02:16back and that's where he made his mistake all right and the other pound for pound champion that i
01:02:20talked about james tony the super middleweight champion and james thank you very much for joining us and i
01:02:25must admit that james is a little queasy about being up high we're about three stories high right now and this
01:02:30is the only opponent that i've seen james tony a little nervous about but you're going to be okay
01:02:34yeah i want to find a heist and um with no support like we have ropes and everything it's kind of
01:02:39kind of rough up here let's move ahead and talk about the main event uh you know michael moore
01:02:44many people don't know michael moore he has a demeanor of being very detached very aloof is that the real
01:02:50michael moore or is he playing games with the public what you see is basically the real michael moore
01:02:54he's a quiet person until somebody stares him up and um i think it's good for him when i
01:02:59see michael moore the other day he's in the right frame of mind are you ready and when michael moore
01:03:03is in the right frame of mind you don't have everything intact can't buy out this stuff well
01:03:07speaking of being ready pernell that's one thing um evander holyfield has never accused of not being
01:03:13ready but again he's fighting a southpaw you can certainly speak to the uniqueness of that style
01:03:18what will be most problematic for evander going against the southpaw well you have to have the
01:03:22perfect angles i'm sure in the gym and training camp the trainer went over time and time again
01:03:27which way he has to go which way he has to move his feet and what to be thinking about actually
01:03:32he can't be looking at the left hand because the right the right hook is always there but um me
01:03:37knowing evander he's been around in the game a long time he's capable of uh adapting to any kind of
01:03:42style but it's going to be a great fight you know the fans are going to get a very good treat quickly
01:03:47what's it going to take for michael moore to do it he's trying to become the first southpaw heavyweight
01:03:52champion ever what's it going to take james what michael has to do he can't sit back and wait on
01:03:56evander he had to go out you know have to go to him right away put the pressure to him make evander
01:04:01fight when you don't want to fight and if you do that he'll be successful and he'll be the new
01:04:05heavyweight champ all right hey fellas thank you very much i truly appreciate it got to ask you though
01:04:10now and i know putting modesty aside putting friendship aside who do you like and why oh well
01:04:16of course my heart is with evander and um you know it's been a long time with with the 10 years that
01:04:21we've spent together through the olympics and then up to date but i think with the frame of mind he's
01:04:26ready he's out there he's ready to go to his job but in any any lack of days ago or loss of focus he
01:04:32loses the fight how's your basketball game oh second ranked nba anybody watching my family knows i'm good
01:04:38all right pernell and james tony thank you very much we'll get you off of this high scaffolding fellas
01:04:42thank you very much coming up next the junior lightning hawks by four they win by
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