Kevin Johnson keeps on ticking. The tough, durable, skilled and slick heavyweight with the ‘I’ll fight anyone, anywhere’ attitude is now 42 years old, yet he shows zero signs of slowing down any – or of going away. Next up, “Kingpin” will face Russia’s Sergey Kuzmin, in Sochi, Russia on November 5th. Kuzmin, 15-2(11) and never stopped, is a good deal younger than Johnson at age 34.
Kuzmin was at one point being looked at the next big thing at heavyweight before he suffered back-to-back points defeats at the hands of Michael Hunter and Martin Bakole, this in 2019/2020. Since the December 2020 Bakole loss, Kuzmin has been inactive. Now, against ring veteran Johnson, Kuzmin is looking to get back into the win column. But will he do it?
Johnson, who was last seen dropping a decision to Agit Kabayel in June, and before that had crushed former IBF cruiserweight champ Yoan Pablo Hernandez in another of his upset victories, has proven time and again how he is utterly unafraid of fighting guys in their own backyard. Johnson – who has been in with, amongst other big names, Vitali Klitschko, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Filip Hrgovic, Daniel Dubois and Andy Ruiz – has been stopped just three times; with Joshua, Petar Milas and Bakole managing to get rid of him inside schedule.
So who wins on November 5? How much desire has Kuzmin got left and how much confidence has he got left after suffering those two defeats? How much has Johnson got left and how long can he keep on going for (Johnson turned pro way back in February of 2003!). In truth, it could be a good fight between these two, or it could be a somewhat dull, cagey affair. It would not be a big shock if Johnson, with his bag of tricks, managed to pull off another notable upset win.
Scheduled for ten rounds, Kuzmin Vs. Johnson may well see the final bell. I’m going for “Kingpin” to come home with a close decision win, one that will revive his career – once again.