So I'm sitting here watching Tarver vs Johnson I, and the commentary team are gushing over Johnson's chin. TBF he's showing a good chin, but he it's not worthy of the boners they've got for it in this particular fight. But while I find almost everything about Johnson overrated, his chin was damn good. Who would you pick to stop him at LHW? I'd take Foster, for sure. He has a history of stopping durable fighters and deep down, I think Hank was both better and tougher than Glen. Spinks is a maybe, so is Moore. Would you pick anybody lesser than them, or maybe be even have Glencoffe go the distance with those guys?
This is a General Forum topic also . Not that it's a big deal, but this is a good question and I want it to get as many eyeballs as possible, so I'll move it. The thought of Glen Johnson getting stopped always brings a smile to my lips .
To answer the question: I'm confident in saying Foster, Charles, Moore, and Spinks all stop Glenn Johnson. I think the circa 96-00 Roy stops him. Like the Roy that blew out Merqui Sosa, yeah, I don't think Johnson goes 12 with that Roy. There's a very high chance of Saad and Qawi stopping him. Eddie MM on his A-game might very well stop him.
I think fighters who'll put Johnson on the back-foot are underrated picks. Johnson was a little like Simon Brown, in that if you put him on the back-foot, he'd play the role of counter-puncher and try and fight that way. Problem was, Brown was good at that, Johnson was shit. Pops, Moore, Qawi, Saad, etc; fit this mold well and could all stop him IMO. Tarver definitely had him hurt in that last round with a straight left. I feel like Moorer wouid fucking paint Johnson and take him out. Stevenson could actually do that, too.
I considered Charles as well (of course I did ), and I think I agree. But the problem with this is that I feel like my pick for Charles vs pressure fighters is almost always the same: Charles sits in the pocket, lines up massive body punches then comes in hard with a huge 1-2-3 or a combination cultivating with a left hook to take them out. He did it to basically all of them, including Bivins, and Moore. The only one who wasn't KOed by it at some point was Marciano, and like, c'mon. It's Marciano. Johnson could well fall pray to this as well.
I forgot about Moorer. Yeah, MM was overrated at 175, but I think he would beat the ever fucking bejesus outta Johnson and knock him out. Glenn Johnson was not particularly good. He would be a no-name in the sport's history if he didn't luck out in facing a completely shot Roy.
This is why I'd make Qawi the best bet to get a stoppage - not because he was necessarily the biggest puncher, but because he's a dead cert to take it to Johnson and beat him at his own game.
Foster is a certain bet to stop Johnson. I would downright SHOCKED if Johnson saw the final bell against Bob. Spinks I'm quite certain gets him out of there as well. Only reason Spinks played it safe against Qawi was because he respected Qawi's power and offense. He wouldn't have that kind of respect for Johnson. Let's not overrate Glenn's durability - if Hopkins can force a stoppage over him, then it's not some unattainable feat.
That's a very broad statement. I'd Hopkins can stop him surely Tarver can too, right? Is that your Jones bias creeping in a bit? I know I have a deep hatred of John Holman for stopping a shot Charles, but nobody ever talks about him. I think his chin was clearly a better than that, given how the Hopkins fight went down, and that the stoppage was one; based on Johnson taking too many clean shots, not being hurt and two, a bit iffy anyway. He pretty clearly improved as he moved up as well IMO, I don't think that B-Hop would stop the Johnson who was champion. But broadly I agree. Foster should take him out, so should Spinks, Moore, Moorer and Charles. Others can too, like Jones, Qawi, Saad, Pops, Eddie, etc; buy they're not all locks. I also think if you took him back to the 40s, he'd have KO losses in series to Marshall, Bivins, Satterfield, Durrele, Morrow, Smith, Nardico, and maybe others. Those guys could fuckin bang and Johnson would offer his chin up on a platter to all of them. Furthermore - since I don't know where else to say it - why do people not understand how Foster fought? I saw somebody today call him one dimensional, and likened him to Donaire. Wtf??? I saw another trying to argue that he'd beat Marciano, and he'd dance at range like Ali. I feel like getting annoyed at retards for being retarded is a trait I'll carry for years.
By the same token, we've seen fighters that were less durable than Johnson last the distance with the likes of Spinks and Foster. Ray Anderson went 15 with Foster a year after being bombed out in the 1st round by Charlie Green, and Eddie Davis stood toe-to-toe with Spinks for the full 12. It also seemed to me that Johnson was stronger and sturdier up at 175 than he had been below the weight.
When Tarver started really looking for a KO, he nearly got one in that twelfth round. I feel like if you put him in with Moorer, who was a much bigger fighter and puncher than Tarver and who'd always be looking for a KO, he'd get one. Moorer was a defensively-poor, pressure fighter's worst nightmare.
Tricky fighter if there is one. Not a world beater but knew how to roll with the punches and preferred to fight at close quarters. Hopkins stopped him but, it was more the ref 's worries than his physical state that triggered the stoppage IMO. Yeah, he ate a lot of punches but he seemed clear eyed at the time of the stoppage. I'm thinking about huge punchers at 175 and I wonder if they could get the extension needed to deliver maximum damage given his style (and capacity for absorption which allows him to get close enough). Honestly, that's a very good question. Of course, many many can beat him, as far as stopping him, I like the Moorer suggestion. Some might emulate Hopkins' stoppage but I have a hard time imagining him lying down totally out of it. Interesting thread!
I agree with this but I also feel the Hopkins fight may have been stopped prematurely. Having written that, it has been a long time since I have seen the fight, .
Good post, George. And I have a horrific memory, but I believe the Hopkins fight was at middleweight.
