by the time the fight was in the workings johnson was getting out of prison and losing to guys who couldnt have touched him a few years prior. would have been a tough fight for johnson to win even in his prime since he wasnt a natural bantamweight but he showed the toughness necessary by going to war with marquez (a dubious decision) in their first bout that leads me to believe austin would not have taken him out and would have been outboxed.
Austin was a pretty big bantamweight too, strong and he hit hard It always bothered me how his career was directed... he was seen as often as Halley's Comet I thought quite highly of him, he was a terrific hitter and very skillful... Not to take anything away from Rafael Marquez, who has obviously proved himself an oustanding fighter in his own right, but I think he caught Austin on the fade Johnson was amazing in his prime, but his 118 career was all post prison and he frankly looked a shell of himself... I can't see that Mark Johnson beating Austin but maybe the prime version, assuming he was as breathtaking at 118 as he had been at 112 and 115, is just too skillfull for Tim?