Along with Lamont Peterson and Tori Nelson winning world titles, there was one other major story that many in the mainstream media, especially along the Beltway slept on. A story that even fans of this blog slept on.
That story was about three-time, two-division world champion Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson's induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Maybe the timing of his announcement was bad, because it came during the week of Peterson-Khan, but the announcement should have received a lot more publicity than it did.
Reporters in the internet boxing media truly celebrated Johnson's election because for many, as Steve Kim of MaxBoxing.com said, Johnson was the first blue-chip boxer they had a chance to cover.
It was a chance for me to celebrate because I met Johnson before the internet boxing world. I met a man named Panama Mike Payne who was to become a color-commentator on my first boxing TV show, Friday Night at the Fieldhouse on DCTV. Payne had watched Johnson throughout the amateurs. We were getting ready to call Johnson's fifth pro fight at the original Washington Convention Center. Right before the bout, Panama pulled me aside and said,
"You watch. Johnson will be a world champion someday."
It was early in my boxing writer career and I didn't know you could make a prediction like that after only four bouts. Plus, Johnson had a loss on his record at that time (losing to Irish boxer Richie Wenton in Ireland on St.Patrick's Day). As we know, Panama was right, but unfortunately Panama never got to see Johnson become a world champion because he was killed shortly after that.
Throughout his career, Johnson always put DC first, even when he had to go to the west coast to find flyweights to battle. His loyalty to DC and people here who followed his career from the early days was incredible.
There was a time in boxing where the Beltway couldn't be touched when it came to boxing. From Vincent Pettway's title win in 1994 to the championship wins of Johnson, Keith Holmes, William Joppy and Sharmba Mitchell all the way through the title wins for DeMarcus Corley and Hasim Rahman in 2001. Through that time, Johnson was the only one to be considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Johnson is also the last Beltway Boxer to earn that distinction.
And yet when the announcement came and was posted here on BATB, only one person -- my broadcast partner Jerome "The Fight Doctor" Spears who also covered Johnson during the early years -- put a congratulatory note on the post.
It could be that many of you are too young to have seen Mark Johnson fight. Hopefully, some of the older fans have seen Johnson throughout the area and have congratulated him. The mainstream media, again, maybe because of the timing, did not mention this as they should.
But that's why BATB is here. The mission of this blog has always been to inform folks who live in the DMV about the boxing scene. Many people around the country and world know how good the boxers are here, but many people who LIVE in the area don't.
If all goes well, I will be in Canastota, NY on June 7-10 to chronicle Mark's induction into the Hall of Fame. I hope many of you will join me there. It will be a true culmination of one of the great careers in Beltway Boxing history!
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17 comments:
Most definitely, Johnson was a great fighter, and I sort of wish we had a dominating p4p force like him again in the area. Who knows? Perhaps Peterson will be the next one, but we got some big shoes to fill, that's for sure.
MARK Q A ABOUT MAYWEATHER 90 DAYS ARE YOU SERIOUS TOOSHARP DID A YEAR IN FCI PEN NOT NO 90 DAYS IN LAS VEGAS BOYS CLUB AND HE CAME BACK AND WON ANOTHER WORLD TITLE TOOSHARP IS THE PRIDE OF DC BUT YES WE HAVE SOME GREAT UP AND COMMING FIGHTERS.I LEARNED ABOUT HIM FROM BARRY HUNTER WHO TRAINS PETERSON
It's because he is black like Henry Cry Baby Jones. Are you read to do this,let's cry to this! Mark could fight and deserves the hall and Crybaby Jones deserves the hall too! The hall outside of any boxing match so we don't have to hear him cry!
Signed-
A proud brother who is just calling it like is.
PS: Congrads Mark!
Cry Jones lmao everytime I see him he's crying and we he ring announce it souds like he's crying when he say that bullshit the other two Cry babys Joseph Cooper and The commissioner Scoty Irving who dont know shit about boxing I guess we will be crying trying to bring another fight here
How did Henry Jones get pulled into this discussion? It seems like the same (annonymous of course) troll is determined to disparage Mr. Jones in every conversation on this blog, painfully irrelevant or not.
To Henry, hold your head up high. You're being targetted because you're the best.
And most importantly to Mark Johnson, congratulations! You have made your city proud!!
Chris,
The best? No, he is not the best, Michaal Buffer is! Jimmy Lennon is. But he cries the race card and I am black - sick of hearing it. He gets work, so why always cry?
Really? Really?
Signed-
Proud brother who loves his mother!
Discombobulating Jones,
Happy New Year to everyone ..even that big, bad and brave anonymous so-called "brother" who seems to be my biggest fan these days. I don't know of any real brothers who hide like you do, but I'm praying for you anyway sir because it's real obvious you have some deep rooted issues to deal with in your life...matter of fact.. I'm "crying out in prayer for you" because the only thing "black" about you is your evil spirit, if you are African-American. Easy to say you are on this blog but I don't buy it and I don't think anyone else does either. Get a life and stop living to hate on me because I couldn't care less what you or anyone else think or say negatively about me, my self esteem is strong. My family got fed really well behind me crying out about almost being left off that HBO card; and for your information, Buffer has been my mentor for 20 yrs and kicked Joe Martinez to the curb for me because he has a law suit against him for using the trademark "Let's get ready to rumble" phrase.
Don't take it lightly when I say "seek some help sir." You play yourself with hating on others and then saying you love your mother. You must be the wayward son. Make her proud of you if she's still with us because it's apparent you've caused her and a lot of others some real grief. Real talk.
Digital, i'm also praying for your precious daughter, that all will be well. Thanks for sticking up for me each time Chris but let's ignore this twisted soul now,
"Houston...he has a problem!"
My apologies for not posting sooner about 2Sharp but he and I speak almost daily and are planning a series of events leading up to his Induction in June, including a bus trip up there. Before that, we are putting together a reception for next month and will keep you posted. He certainly deserves all the recognition coming, especially since he is the 1st Black Flyweight to win a World Title.
For the most part the boxing world missed out on his early career greatness because he couldn't get marquee bouts against Tapia, Romero, Carbajal, Lopez and a couple others who got million dollar paydays. I heard Max Kellerman once say Mark was "too good, too left-handed...and too black!" but I guess its not crying because Max is Caucasian.
Mark and I both started back in 1988 at Coolidge SHS on the Madness Connection cards. He was the only fighter to include me in his contract to be his ring announcer, and we made our ESPN debut at the DC Armory in Feb '98. He put on a spectacular performance and stretched Arthur "Flash" Johnson in 1 round!
BTW "Anonymous Brother who loves his mother", the ESPN crew loved my performance and praised my interactive ring style which led to many more televised gigs and eventually HBO KO NATION, for your record you seem to be keeping on me, thanks.
Mark didn't get all the accolades and money that he should have but there are several of us putting things in motion so he will still capitalize on his unprecedented accomplishments.
How great was he? No less an authority than Sugar Ray Leonard recently said the best to ever come out of the DC area is.. Mark "2Sharp" Johnson! Nuff said..peace..
last comment was mine
by acusing the poster of not being black you have validated his claim that you indeed a race player.It's ok because you have done it for so long.Everyone who takes up for this guy must indeed he is a race player from the Hemaleigha's.
Congrats to Mark he deserve it and all the fame that comes with it...As for Mr.Jones he is the real deal and anyone that know him would agree.
or if Johnson wasnt a crack head women beater he nay have had some truly great-money making fights within a few pounds/ Tapia or Romero or a host of others
disco banana eating jones shut the f up and stop whining,ko naton yeah that was great
Let's just say it like it was:
Mark Johnson - Great Fighter? YES!
Mark Johnson - Great Person? Fuck No!
Don't know where or how you came to this ridiculous conclusion.
Yes, Mark did make a mistake in his life. In fact, my first story ever for Fightnews.com was concerning his conviction on the assault charges.
But Mark has learned from those mistakes. He took advantage of the second chance he received and made the most of it!
Gary,
Did you just say don't know where or how I came to this ridiculous conclusion? Let me tell you how I came to that conclusion. Listen up:
HE ASSAULTED A WOMAN! THAT'S HOW I CAME TO THAT CONCLUSION!
As I said before, great fighter - YES, great person - NO!
I think the reason why this story didn't get its "just due" is because most people around here still remember that.
Now YOU listen up!
If you had everyone in the hall of fame who had done something bad in their lives, there would be very few in the hall of fame.
The hall of fame talks about what people did IN THE RING!! That can never be taken away from a person.
Besides, I don't think too many people remember that situation UNLESS they knew how good a boxer Mark was!
I just said he was a bad guy, I didn't say he didn't belong in the Hall of Fame. I also said the reason the story didn't get more love was because of Johnson's past IMO. He was a great boxer.
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