Boxing

 

Step Up To The Plate, Kirk

Paul Barker

16.07 - As much as I admire the abilities of my fellow Canadian, Kirk Johnson, am I alone in thinking that he's being groomed WAY too cautiously? The fact that he is undefeated does command a certain respect, but whom has this thirty-year-old heavyweight actually fought? His lengthy roster of victims looks kind of anemic to me. If a man's boxing record is at all indicative of his boxing abilities, I would say Kirk (32-0-1) is a careful, dutiful, overachieving, "A" student type - gifted, but falling short of true genius.

I would go so far as to label him a "renaissance man." He can box, he can punch, he has speed, and he's good defensively. This kind of versatility, in its extreme form, is what makes legends (Roy Jones Jr., Sugar Ray Robinson, and Joe Louis, ect.) The extent of Kirk Johnson's versatility, however, is simply not known. The guy has never been tested.

Well, there was Oleg Maskaev a few years back. Johnson certainly looked impressive in that fight, brutalizing the erratic but hard punching Uzbek throughout a truncated round four, ultimately knocking him into the ringside seats. Who among us suspected that Johnson packed such fearsome power? Who among us had taken his twenty knockouts in twenty-nine fights seriously? I'll be perfectly candid and answer a resounding, "not me!" to both questions.

His lackluster victory (albeit by unanimous decision) over Larry "The Legend" Donald last July did little to cement his rep. Donald, who has beaten Tim Witherspoon, is a pretty credible heavyweight, but his fight with Johnson ended up being closer than even the latter's critics were expecting! Perhaps Johnson had been looking beyond Donald (to his glorious future among the heavyweight elite?), perhaps the crafty "Legend" was just too damn hard to hit. Whatever the case, the encounter "raised more questions than answers," as the old cliché goes.

Miracle of miracles! The Johnson camp has finally taken a decisive step forward by arranging a title fight with WBA champ John Ruiz. Even if this bout proves a tedious snooze-fest, it will likely answer at least some of the lingering questions about Kirk. ("Is he championship material?" "Does he have heart?") It's still not my idea of Kirk Johnson "stepping up to the plate" - the on-deck circle, possibly. But if he blows Ruiz outa there early, I'll be impressed as hell.

The Quiet Man may well turn the tables on Johnson, and give him a sound thrashing. How would this affect Johnson's lofty status? Can you say "substantial deflation?" I think Kirk's carefully constructed career would come crashing down about his head! His former cautiousness would come back to haunt him in a big way. A fighter cannot pad his record then expect it to accommodate a defeat of this magnitude (unless, of course, he's a Great White Hope.)

But something in my heart of hearts tells me that Kirk Johnson is the genuine article. For starters, I like where his head is at. Any fighter who retains the services of a parent throughout his career inadvertently divulges several things about himself: a willingness to do what he's told, a rock-ribbed sense of family values, a strong foundation in life, and the patience of a bloomin' saint. For those of you who may not know, Johnson's daddy has been his trainer/advisor since his illustrious amateur days. Johnson's squeaky clean image, a refreshing change in this era of supposed "bad boys," is likely indicative of his total commitment to the sport, his deadly seriousness about being the best. Now if we could only transplant his brain into Tyson's body…

But then again, why bother? Kirk's own abundant power and speed, while perhaps paling alongside Iron Mike's, is at least coupled to some decent boxing skills. Would Kirk have absorbed half so much punishment against the likes of Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield, and Lennox Lewis? (Assuming he remained upright for as many rounds?)

You know who I'd like to see Johnson face? David Tua. What a hell of a fight that would be! A guy who does many things well versus a guy who does one thing GREAT. A defining fight for both men.

Kirk Johnson. He's headed in the right direction, but he's taking it at a crawl. At the risk of mixing metaphors, it's time for him to step up to the plate! He has the strength, the tools, the smarts - but he ain't gonna have 'em forever.

0 comments
 


Bookmark and Share

 

If you detect any issues with the legality of this site, problems are always unintentional and will be corrected with notification.
The views and opinions of all writers expressed on eastsideboxing.com do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Management.
Copyright © 2001- 2015 East Side Boxing.com - Privacy Policy