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00:00:29His record is flawless.
00:00:3134 wins, no defeats, 30 knockouts.
00:00:35Oh, that's how he goes!
00:00:37He is the number one heavyweight contender in the world.
00:00:42He is one of the strongest southpaws the sport has ever seen.
00:00:47World has a solid lift, and Mike White goes down less than a minute into the fight.
00:00:53There's that left hand you talked about.
00:00:55He is the division's hardest puncher.
00:00:59He is mighty.
00:01:01He is strong.
00:01:02He is forceful.
00:01:04And Horner scores twice with the uppercut, and Stewart is down again.
00:01:09He has...
00:01:12his name.
00:01:20Tonight, Michael Horner, a source of magnificent power,
00:01:24will attempt to become the next heavyweight champion of the world.
00:01:29He is the holder of two heavyweight titles.
00:01:34You athletes have ever exhibited so much part and determination.
00:01:37The champion in trouble.
00:01:41Cooper backs away.
00:01:43Holyfield almost goes down.
00:01:46Oh, what a right hand by Holyfield.
00:01:48And now it's Cooper who is standing stock still.
00:01:53He is a competitor who refuses to accept defeat.
00:01:56And just like that, the champion struggles to stay on his feet.
00:02:02What a heart by Holyfield.
00:02:06Look at Holyfield.
00:02:08What a warrior.
00:02:12Reversing the tide of the battle.
00:02:13The champion now has bone wobbling.
00:02:20He is courageous.
00:02:21He is persevering.
00:02:22He is defiant.
00:02:24For the second year in a row, they fought the fight of the year.
00:02:27He has...
00:02:29He has...
00:02:31His name...
00:02:38Evander Holyfield, a symbol of will who has finally been acknowledged as the best heavyweight in boxing.
00:02:48The power to destroy.
00:02:53The will to win.
00:02:55Tonight, they clash.
00:02:59As Evander Holyfield defends his heavyweight crown against Michael Moore.
00:03:03We are live from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, where TVKO presents the will to win, the power to destroy.
00:03:27Up first, it'll be Junior Jones defending his WBA bantamweight title against John Michael Johnson.
00:03:34And that'll be followed by the IBF Junior Lightweight Championship between title holder, John John Molina, and his opponent, Gregorio Vargas.
00:03:42And then in our main event, the number one contender, Michael Moore, matches his power against the will of heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.
00:03:51And it's all brought to you by Budweiser, proud to be your Bud.
00:03:58Well, it has been an unusually warm week here in Las Vegas, Nevada.
00:04:02Temperatures reached 97 degrees two days ago, the hottest in 56 years.
00:04:07But mercifully, Mother Nature has relented.
00:04:09Today, a cool temperature of 87 degrees, and that's welcome news for the near-capacity crowd that's expected here at Caesars to take in an evening of championship boxing.
00:04:19And good evening, everyone. I'm James Brown.
00:04:23Well, our boxing slate of championship fights tonight begins with a bout featuring an exciting young fighter by the name of Poison Junior Jones.
00:04:31He's a native of Brooklyn, New York, about whom greatness has been predicted for some years now.
00:04:36He has beaten the streets of New York and has beaten the path to the top, and that's a position he's expected to occupy for quite some while.
00:04:42The next bout showcases John John Molina, the pride of Puerto Rico, whose Hessian work ethic and marvelous condition has made him a formidable champion who is willing to go anywhere to fight anyone.
00:04:54And then the spotlight turns on the heavyweights as WBA and IBF title holder Evander Holyfield defends his title against a man who says that he will become the first-ever Southpaw heavyweight champion of the world.
00:05:07So sit back and relax and enjoy what should be a hard-hitting action tonight coming your way on TVKO.
00:05:13And right now, we take you downstairs to our championship announce crew, George Foreman, Larry Merchant, and Jim Lampley.
00:05:19All right, thank you very much, James Brown.
00:05:22We are getting ready to see three terrific championship bouts, eventually the heavyweight title match between Evander Holyfield and Michael Moore, working with me, of course, former heavyweight champion George Foreman.
00:05:33George, those of us who've been watching you for decades get a sense of excitement, majesty, at a heavyweight championship fight, maybe unequaled in all of sport.
00:05:42Do you get excited, too?
00:05:43Oh, I'm equally as excited as the rest of the country is about.
00:05:45Whenever there's a heavyweight fight, who knows?
00:05:47They're naming fish after Jack Dempsey.
00:05:50It may be a great fight.
00:05:51They may name a fish after Disappointed Tonight.
00:05:53There's great things happening in a heavyweight match.
00:05:55I'm just happy to be here.
00:05:56All right, we'll look down the road to that one eventually.
00:05:59And when we get there, it's something that's regarded by many as a mystery fight.
00:06:03Larry, one mystery to many who don't know much about Michael Moore is how a proven champion like Holyfield can be only a less-than-two-to-one favorite over Moore.
00:06:13What's the story there?
00:06:15Well, the soundbite of why Michael Moore is considered a very dangerous challenger is this.
00:06:21He's young.
00:06:22He's hungry.
00:06:22He's unbeaten.
00:06:23He's a very good puncher.
00:06:25And he's that rare, exotic bird known as a right-handed southpaw.
00:06:31But there is an assumption behind those odds that is the real story.
00:06:35The assumption is that Evander Holyfield is at that stage and age when champions sometimes begin to decline.
00:06:45He's coming off a very emotional and physically draining fight in his rematch with Riddick Bowe.
00:06:52He's won all the fights and all the championships to be won.
00:06:55He's made all the money there is to be made.
00:06:58And there's a sense that he is becoming vulnerable.
00:07:00So, Jim, in the USA Today there was a poll of 21 media wretches, 14 picked Holyfield, 7 picked Moura.
00:07:11By a knockout of all things, even in my primitive boxing math, that's 2-to-1.
00:07:17Still 2-to-1.
00:07:18That's right.
00:07:18But first, the 118-pound championship fight.
00:07:21And we've got a chance to see a young man in Poison Junior Jones, ranked by many as one of the top 6 or 7 fighters pound-for-pound in the world.
00:07:28What about Jones?
00:07:29Well, Jones appears to be one of those freaks of nature who comes along every couple of decades.
00:07:36He looks like a smaller version of Tommy Hearns, almost like shoulder pads under his skin, enormous shoulders,
00:07:44the shoulders of perhaps a well-o-weight or a small middleweight.
00:07:47And yet he is just a bantamweight, way down at 115 pounds, 117 pounds or so.
00:07:54And one of the interesting things, Jim, is that he is among a whole slew of American little giants that is virtually a revolution.
00:08:04It's almost a golden age of little men emerging in America, challenging the fighters from the Orient,
00:08:11challenging the fighters from South America.
00:08:14And Junior Jones is one of the best of them.
00:08:16Indeed. We'll get ready to see him against John Michael Johnson.
00:08:19I know you get excited for a heavyweight championship fight. You told us that.
00:08:23Bantamweights are about the size of one of your arms. You like this, too?
00:08:26I like that. If you're going to be a great boxer, who are you going to learn it from?
00:08:29Not the heavyweight. You've got to have a teacher. He's got to be a bantamweight, lightweight, things of that nature.
00:08:33So you've got to be equally excited about these fighters.
00:08:36All right. We get ready for the 118-pound championship bout between champion Poison Junior Jones.
00:08:42There he is, a fighter out of New York who was once one of the mainstays of the Madison Square Garden boxing operation.
00:08:49The garden is now dark for boxing, so we're going to see more of Junior Jones in Vegas and out around the country.
00:08:54The record, as you see, 32-0 with 22 knockouts.
00:08:58His opponent, John Michael Johnson, from San Antonio, Texas, is a young man whom Jones fought five years ago
00:09:07in what was only the third fight of Junior Jones' career, the tenth of John Michael Johnson's.
00:09:13Since that time, Johnson has gotten new management, a new trainer, and is much better prepared, he says,
00:09:19for a test like this one, a title shot against Poison Junior Jones.
00:09:26No longer the wild kid, he says, who once helped burn down a school when he was seven years old.
00:09:35Tale of the tape for these 218-pound fighters.
00:09:39Surprisingly, they are equal in height at 5'7", although, as you'll see when they face each other in the ring,
00:09:45Jones presents by far the bigger picture and has an 8-inch reach advantage.
00:09:49Punched at numbers, Larry.
00:09:52Here's a profile of how active these fighters are, and the numbers are very similar, as you can see.
00:10:02Jabs.
00:10:03That's where Jones has a distinct edge, again because of that reach advantage.
00:10:08And the rules of the bout with our unofficial ringside scorer, Harold Letterman. Harold?
00:10:14Junior Jones and John Michael Johnson will box tonight using the rules of the World Boxing Association.
00:10:21Twelve rounds.
00:10:22There is no standing eight count, but the three-knockdown rule is in effect.
00:10:27You can be saved by the bell in the last round only.
00:10:30Only the referee can stop the fight.
00:10:32And in case a cut is caused by an accidental headbutt, and that cut causes the fight to be stopped,
00:10:37we go to the scorecards.
00:10:38If the three rounds have been completed before that, it's a technical draw.
00:10:43Jim?
00:10:43Right now, let's go up to ring announcer Michael Buffer for the pre-fight introductions.
00:10:49Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, and welcome to Caesar's Palace here in Las Vegas, Nevada,
00:10:54where tonight, main events monitor, in association with your undisputed, undefeated king of beers, Budweiser.
00:11:02Proud to be your bud.
00:11:04Present an evening of world championship boxing.
00:11:08This belt is sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, also sanctioned by the World Boxing Association.
00:11:14Supervisor at ringside for the WBA is Mary Sleet.
00:11:18The three judges assigned to score this belt on a ten-point must system at ringside are
00:11:23Dave Moretti, Patricia Jarman, and Doug Tucker.
00:11:28And when the bell rings, the man in charge of the action, working for the 98th time in
00:11:34a world title bout, referee Richard Steele.
00:11:38And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's get things started.
00:11:41This bout's scheduled for 12 rounds, and it's for the WBA Phantom Weight Championship of the
00:11:48World.
00:11:50Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner, black trunks with gold letters, and wearing
00:11:56in at 118 pounds.
00:11:58He's fighting out of San Antonio, Texas, and brings a professional record of 17 victories,
00:12:0413 by KO against four defeats.
00:12:07And he is currently the USBA Junior Bantamweight Champion.
00:12:11Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome the challenger, John Michael Johnson.
00:12:18And his opponent, fighting out of the red corner, wearing the red trunks with white trim, also
00:12:29weighing in at 118 pounds.
00:12:31From Brooklyn, New York, he brings an unblemished record of 32-0, 22 by knockout victory.
00:12:38Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the undefeated WBA, champion of the world, Poison Junior Jones.
00:12:50All right, I spoke to both fighters in the dressing room, I'm crushing it again.
00:13:00Obey my commands at all times.
00:13:02Shake hands, good luck.
00:13:05Poison versus Bam Bam.
00:13:07Sounds like a fight to me, Jim.
00:13:08Indeed, they met once before, as I mentioned, in 1989.
00:13:14It was a four-round decision for Junior Jones, a fight in which Johnson has his moments, but
00:13:21was left at the end, draped over the ropes, he says, the victim of a low blow.
00:13:29Poison Junior Jones works first, George Foreman, to establish what is one of the most effective
00:13:34jabs in any weight class.
00:13:36And undoubtedly, he's got the longer arm, so he's better use, better get started with
00:13:41that left jab early.
00:13:43The ubiquitous Richard Steele already warning Jones about holding behind the head while he
00:13:48hits.
00:13:48He'll start with the jab.
00:13:50He is also very proud of his body punching.
00:13:53John Michael Johnson is a warrior, wants to get started with one-two combinations, jab,
00:13:59right, cross, and then he wants to go to the body as well, thinking that Jones' ribcage
00:14:03may not have gotten much of a workout to this point in his career, but so far, it's been
00:14:07all Junior Jones.
00:14:10All because of a good left jab.
00:14:12Sometimes if you win in a fight with a left jab, it's good to stay with it for a few rounds.
00:14:16Don't switch over just for the sake of switching over.
00:14:19Left hook over the top, missed by Johnson.
00:14:28Jones, content so far to dominate most of the action with his jab.
00:14:31When you get a close look at John Michael Johnson in the corner, you'll notice that his nose
00:14:47goes in two or three different directions.
00:14:49In our meeting with him yesterday, Larry Merchant asked him about the nose, and Johnson essentially
00:14:54said, it's a mess, I'll get it fixed when my boxing career is over.
00:15:02Sometimes boxing can fix it back up.
00:15:05Well, turn in the right direction.
00:15:08Junior might be just the guy for that kind of surgery.
00:15:10Johnson likes to be aggressive and thought he could here, but so far in the first round,
00:15:33he's been reduced to a defensive fighter by the precise jab and right cross of Junior Jones.
00:15:39The thing about Junior Jones, he's giving a little, ah, ah, with a jab.
00:15:45Sometimes that takes the, after three rounds, you can't jab anymore.
00:15:49Beat up your throat, takes a lot of the wind out of you.
00:15:54Archie Moore would say, be a silent assassin.
00:15:58Two solid lefts and a right cross.
00:16:01Johnson backs up into the corner.
00:16:03Jones goes downstairs to work the body.
00:16:05And the Monica Sellis grunt notwithstanding, it has been an excellent first round for Poison
00:16:14Junior Jones.
00:16:16Now Johnson gets his chance against the ropes, tries to use it with a right to the body and
00:16:21a couple of uppercuts, and lands a left as the first round ends.
00:16:25Take a deep breath.
00:16:30All right.
00:16:31All right.
00:16:33Jay, you're not doing anything wrong.
00:16:36You understand me?
00:16:38The guy's left eye, this is only the first round, the guy's left eye is already swollen.
00:16:44You understand me?
00:16:45And that's from those hard jabs you're throwing.
00:16:47And you're working, you're switching to the body real good.
00:16:50Deal?
00:16:50Hey.
00:16:51Listen, listen, the guy's firing right here.
00:16:58His right hand is way down here.
00:17:00You got to step in close and dig, son of a bitch.
00:17:02Get the jaw.
00:17:03Click him in the jaw.
00:17:04Two or three shots.
00:17:05Two or three shots.
00:17:08Don't stop the jab because it's going to bust him up.
00:17:11My keg is three or four rounds.
00:17:13Right?
00:17:15This doesn't seem to be a fair fight.
00:17:17I think they ought to make Junior Jones take the shoulder pads out.
00:17:27Round two.
00:17:29WBA bantamweight championship fight between Junior Jones, the champion, and John Michael Johnson,
00:17:34the challenger.
00:17:36The shoulder pads, as Larry referred to them, are the muscles in Junior Jones' outsized bantamweight
00:17:42shoulders.
00:17:43The comparisons to Tommy Hearns as a welterweight, Bob Foster as a light heavyweight, Kid Chocolate,
00:17:50some other fighters who simply looked bigger than their weight class would have given them
00:17:54a right to look.
00:17:55That's true.
00:17:56And they've got big shoulders.
00:17:58Fighting days are over.
00:17:59They're going to be big men.
00:18:00Now, Jones is already starting to slow down with that jab because of this grunting.
00:18:09He's turning into hooks because of the redundancy.
00:18:13Hard right hand by Jones.
00:18:15Johnson stands in, tries to appear unruffled.
00:18:21Now, George, you fought Joe Frazier a couple of times.
00:18:24He was the biggest grunter I ever heard in the ring.
00:18:26And he grunted out like everybody else.
00:18:30Your grunting days are short.
00:18:33And all the time Joe was grunting, George was hitting him.
00:18:36Don't hold it.
00:18:37You know, you've got to, uh, guys get that habit of grunting as an amateur, and it's hard
00:18:42to break that habit.
00:18:43I think you're right, George.
00:18:52Not throwing nearly as many jabs in this round, but still effective with it, Junior Jones.
00:18:57He outlanded Johnson in jabs in round one.
00:19:0133 to 3.
00:19:02Left hook to the body, left hook to the body.
00:19:05Boy, it's nice to see a young fighter double up with a left hook to the body, right?
00:19:09He's doing everything he's supposed to.
00:19:11He's mixing up the punches, body, head, body, head.
00:19:14I don't know if we have a replay of that sequence, but actually it was left jab, left hook to the
00:19:20head, left hook to the body.
00:19:24Which is pretty terrific.
00:19:26Yeah.
00:19:27That's great stuff.
00:19:27There's a good right hand by Johnson, maybe his best punch of the fight, chopping right
00:19:34hand.
00:19:35Johnson realizes that that jab, the jab has stopped coming so often.
00:19:39He's moving in a little closer than he would in the first round.
00:19:45Punch it out, punch it out.
00:19:46And as Jones misses over the top of the right hand, Johnson gets a chance to whack to the
00:19:50body a couple times, takes advantage.
00:19:53Don't hold it.
00:19:55Don't hold it.
00:19:57John Michael Johnson, 26-year-old father of two from San Antonio, has never been knocked
00:20:05out.
00:20:14Junior Jones slowing the action noticeably after the sensational first round, round two
00:20:21coming to the close.
00:20:22Take a deep breath and relax.
00:20:32Just take a deep breath.
00:20:33Bring that bucket over.
00:20:34Don't make him reach for it.
00:20:35Take a deep breath.
00:20:36Jay, there's only one thing I don't like.
00:20:39Pull him back a little bit too much.
00:20:41And then when you throw your combination, you understand me?
00:20:45You're pulling out of there.
00:20:46Why don't you throw whatever you want to throw, and then get down and look to work.
00:20:51So you can hurt this guy to the body on the inside.
00:20:54Kenny, Kenny.
00:20:55Come on.
00:20:57You've got to fight.
00:20:59That's right.
00:21:00Go on fucking round.
00:21:00A little bit earlier this evening, 5.51 p.m. Pacific time, the arrival of heavyweight challenger
00:21:12Michael Moorer there with the earphones over his baseball cap.
00:21:18The menacing gaze was fixed in place behind the sunglasses.
00:21:21He was wordless upon his entrance to the stadium complex here.
00:21:31Round three begins.
00:21:33Junior Jones in the red trunks out of New York, New York, defending his 118-pound championship
00:21:40against John Michael Johnson.
00:21:42Jones, 32 wins, no losses to this stage of his career.
00:21:51Working to the body, Jones is able to set up a right cross that landed on the point of
00:21:56the chin, maybe just a tiny bit short.
00:21:59He worked his jab a bit more effective this time.
00:22:03The fight opens up when he jabs more.
00:22:09Another right cross landed between the gloves of Johnson.
00:22:12Johnson still would like to come forward.
00:22:15Junior just doesn't let him do it.
00:22:16Johnson is plotting, he's doing right, but he's not as quick as Jones, so a lot of times
00:22:24he should be moving his head a bit more, he's not doing it, he should plot with a movement.
00:22:32Well, he's been willing to try to box a little bit with Jones so far, George.
00:22:35It looks to me as though that's a no-win.
00:22:38He ought to try to brawl him, break his rhythm song.
00:22:41That's right, you plot, and you fight three minutes every round.
00:22:44This guy's expecting you, Jones would like to box a minute and a half of every round.
00:22:52Punching it out.
00:22:54There's another chopping right hand over the top by Johnson.
00:22:57He's landed that effectively a couple of times.
00:23:00Pawing with the left hand, but already a little gun-shy in the face of Junior Jones' jab.
00:23:04Jones is 23 years old, turned 23 in December.
00:23:29So there's a long time left in his boxing career.
00:23:34This trainer, Joe Fariello, says he may wind up at 135 pounds as a lightweight farther down
00:23:40the road in his career.
00:23:41Great body punching here by Poison Junior Jones.
00:23:44A left hook seemed to stun Johnson momentarily, but he's in great shape, and he just keeps coming, just keeps coming.
00:23:59And here's the chopping right hand by Johnson again.
00:24:01He tries it at hand, misses over the top.
00:24:04But John Michael Johnson has found in this round a couple of occasions to land that right.
00:24:09And there are a couple of good left hooks inside, and suddenly Johnson has his best sequence so far in the bout.
00:24:15And you can see, Jones held on just a little bit that time.
00:24:31Listen to me about one thing, all right?
00:24:32Just take a deep breath.
00:24:34You got it?
00:24:35Put it in your mouth, okay?
00:24:36That's it.
00:24:39Take a little rest.
00:24:42Listen.
00:24:44I'm trying to make this into an easy fight.
00:24:46How?
00:24:47By backing up, backing up.
00:24:49You go into your bend, you make a miss one or two, then they don't fight.
00:24:53And just a few minutes ago, 32 minutes after the arrival of challenger Michael Moore, champion Evander Holyfield striding into the ring where some of the biggest moments of his career have taken place, including, of course, the title regaining effort against Riddick Bowe this past November.
00:25:12Well, that last flurry at the end of the round gave Johnson some hope to build on.
00:25:20Let's see if he can.
00:25:30Johnson trying to make things more even in this bout with power shots.
00:25:35He's not going to land as many jabs as Junior Jones, who has already outlanded him in that category by punch stat numbers 71 to 70.
00:25:44So it's going to be up to Johnson to get inside and find a way to land that chopping right hand, maybe some left hooks, some body punches, and some uppercuts, George.
00:25:53That's right, Johnson has said, look, I'm trying to do something so my kids can say later on, my dad, my dad was tough, and he's showing tonight that being the best is not going to whip him.
00:26:10It's been a tough tour of duty in boxing for John Michael Johnson.
00:26:14John Michael Johnson told us yesterday in a meeting that although he had once had an agreement to make as much as $7,500 and about the most he'd ever really collected was $2,000.
00:26:27He'll gross 20 for this.
00:26:29Johnson, for the second time, has started to land a left jab of his own.
00:26:33And that flurry at the end of round three appears to have slowed Jones' assault just a little.
00:26:51If Johnson is able to get effective with a left jab, this can be some fight tonight.
00:26:56Right hand by Johnson, staggers Jones, Jones goes down, Johnson hits him while he's down.
00:27:09Richard Steele picks up the count.
00:27:12No penalty point for John Michael Johnson for having clearly hit Junior Jones while his knee was on the canvas.
00:27:19That easily could have been a penalty.
00:27:22And Richard Steele elected not to assess the penalty.
00:27:25Second time in his career that Junior Jones has been floored.
00:27:29He also went down in his championship effort against Julio of Columbia.
00:27:34And now Jones still in trouble as Johnson wails away with right hands.
00:27:39Johnson just missed that one over the top.
00:27:4140 seconds left in the round.
00:27:43Junior Jones not electing to hold on.
00:27:45Taking punishment.
00:27:49Remember that the three-knockdown rule is in effect.
00:27:52A still groggy Junior Jones firing wildly to try to get himself out of trouble.
00:27:58Johnson lands an uppercut.
00:28:03Bell cannot save Junior Jones.
00:28:06Johnson lands a right hand.
00:28:08Poison Junior Jones, the champion, backing into his corner.
00:28:12Serious trouble.
00:28:13Closing seconds of round four.
00:28:15And Junior Jones is going to survive the onslaught.
00:28:23The last time this happened to Jones, he fought in a cloud for five rounds before he woke up.
00:28:31What?
00:28:33What happened?
00:28:34You're just not fighting.
00:28:36You understand what I mean?
00:28:37You're just not fighting.
00:28:39What you're doing is, you're bending, you're bending, and you're not doing nothing.
00:28:42You understand me?
00:28:43Now look, you better stop fighting.
00:28:45You got that?
00:28:46All you're doing is concentrating on defense, and you're getting hit.
00:28:51You're getting hit with a good right hand.
00:28:53Okay.
00:28:53Listen to me.
00:28:55Let's take a look as bam-bam goes bam-bam.
00:28:59He stayed in there through the early onslaught,
00:29:01and that right hand hurt Jones, and then he went and put him down.
00:29:05I think he'd have gone down anyway without that second right hand.
00:29:11There you saw it again, flush on the jaw.
00:29:15Now watch him clearly hit Jones while he's down.
00:29:18And tried for a second punch before Steele was able to pull him off.
00:29:23Harold Letterman, your score after four rounds.
00:29:27Larry, three rounds to one, but 38 to 37, Junior Jones.
00:29:31He's barely ahead.
00:29:32I thought he won the first three rounds with the left jab,
00:29:34but boy, he got clocked in that fourth round.
00:29:36But I tell you, if I were Richard Steele, I would have positively pulled the point,
00:29:40but for John Michael Johnson for hitting Junior Jones when he was on the floor.
00:29:45But regardless of what happened in San Antonio in the Chavez-Whitaker fight last fall,
00:29:50it is not up to the judge to deduct a point unless Richard Steele specifically instructs them to do so.
00:29:56Absolutely correct.
00:29:57It's up to the referees.
00:29:58The referees call.
00:29:59But I'll tell you, that was so late it was ridiculous.
00:30:01So that was a 10-8 round for Johnson.
00:30:03Oh, absolutely a 10-8 round.
00:30:05John Michael Johnson outlanded Jones in power shots in round four.
00:30:10Power shots, punches other than jabs, 37 for Johnson, only 8 for Jones.
00:30:16So now the initiative belongs to John Michael Johnson.
00:30:19What does he do with it, George?
00:30:20Yeah, Johnson was able to do all of this because he got effective with a left jab.
00:30:25Now he's got to go back and build it all up and start all over again.
00:30:28If he starts wailing away, he's going to get behind because this guy doesn't mind mixing it up.
00:30:39As Larry Merchant pointed out, when he went down against Julio of Colombia in the championship fight,
00:30:47Junior Jones fought the next four or five rounds in a fog.
00:30:51He even turned to trainer Joe Fariello between the 9th and 10th and said,
00:30:55I can't believe I went down.
00:30:56Fariello said, Junior, that was five rounds ago.
00:31:00Here he looks a little more alert.
00:31:03Junior Jones is clearly being hurt by body punches now.
00:31:09Boy, you've got to hand it to Johnson for hanging in through those first three rounds.
00:31:12Well, that's the virtue of conditioning,
00:31:16self-confidence from having had a winning streak,
00:31:19pulling everything together.
00:31:21Remember that Jones is from New York.
00:31:27Johnson is from San Antonio, has trained part of his career in Arizona.
00:31:30He believed yesterday that the temperature in the ring,
00:31:33probably in the 80s, would play in his favor,
00:31:37that he might, over a long period of time,
00:31:39be able to wear Jones down and gain an advantage.
00:31:46Good left hand.
00:31:48Yes.
00:31:48Excellent left hook by Junior Jones.
00:31:51Good body shot by Jones as well.
00:31:55Settling back down and beginning to find his boxing tools again.
00:31:58That's true.
00:32:00Because Johnson didn't use,
00:32:01he should have used his body like a bowling ball,
00:32:04and just stay real close to Junior.
00:32:05Okay, now, settle.
00:32:07Sometimes you don't have to throw punches.
00:32:09Just stay close like you're throwing punches.
00:32:15And for the moment, both fighters have ceased with the jab,
00:32:19although Jones still throws one occasionally.
00:32:22Jones showed his quality as a fighter by coming back and winning that round, in my judgment.
00:32:29Johnson was unable to build on the knockdown as he had built earlier on that flurry late in the third round.
00:32:38Junior, you just suck it up.
00:32:41That's what champions are all about.
00:32:43That's all spit in there.
00:32:46You've got to stop going back.
00:32:48You've got to stay right there with that jab,
00:32:50and then drop your shots in off the jab.
00:32:52You understand me?
00:32:53You're punching too much going away.
00:32:55Now, you've got to pick this thing up.
00:32:57Great champions stuck this up.
00:32:58Right?
00:32:59And you're a great champion.
00:33:00You're capable of doing this.
00:33:02But you've got to do it.
00:33:03Just a minute.
00:33:03Just a minute.
00:33:03Just a minute.
00:33:04Don't be such a hero.
00:33:08The sixth, seventh round's coming up.
00:33:11Here you see Jones at the end of the round,
00:33:15building a good lead in this round,
00:33:17and coming back very strongly after that almost disastrous fourth round.
00:33:24Incidentally, the fellow you saw in the corner of Johnson is Tony Aiello.
00:33:28Everyone remembers his son, Tony Aiello, Jr.
00:33:33Great, great prospect from the middleweight division
00:33:36in prison on a rape conviction.
00:33:42So it's Tony Aiello, Sr., who's training John Michael Johnson.
00:33:46And, George, you were so right.
00:33:48You talked about how Johnson had turned the tide with regard to jabs.
00:33:52Early in the fight, I mentioned at one point
00:33:53that Junior Jones had landed 37 of them to only 7 for Johnson.
00:33:57But in round five, Johnson landed 23 jabs to only 7 for Jones.
00:34:02And that's what creates those quick knockdowns.
00:34:06You get a guy dazed with the jabs,
00:34:08and then things start to happen good for you.
00:34:10But if you go back to winging, you fall behind yourself.
00:34:14So John Michael Johnson has shown his toughness here.
00:34:18Junior Jones has shown a lot of style and has also shown,
00:34:22as Larry Merchant points out, the professionalism
00:34:24to have come back from the knockdown
00:34:26and, at least in Larry's eyes, one round fought.
00:34:29Now they're in the sixth,
00:34:31moving toward the halfway point of this 12-round bout
00:34:34being fought in very hot weather here in Las Vegas.
00:34:36More combinations now from Jones.
00:34:43I think his head is thoroughly cleared
00:34:45from the damage that caused the knockdown.
00:34:48Johnson is allowing him to sit up a little bit too much now.
00:34:51He jabs, steps back, and sit up and does what he want to do.
00:34:55You can't allow him to just sit up that long.
00:34:56Once he misses you, jump in front of his face again.
00:34:58Should Johnson throw more jabs?
00:35:04Yeah, Johnson has got to stick with the jabs,
00:35:06but as soon as Jones hit him, jump right back on him
00:35:08because he's blocking most of these punches
00:35:10that you may think he's getting back in the fight with.
00:35:12They're being blocked.
00:35:14Most of them, not all of them.
00:35:17Pretty good defensive fighter, John Michael Johnson.
00:35:20You can see why he has never been knocked out.
00:35:22And indeed, both of those jabs blocked on the gloves,
00:35:30the third one as well.
00:35:33Johnson is getting the rhythm of dropping his hands here and there.
00:35:37That may not be the best thing to do.
00:35:38Good right hand over the top by Poison Jr. Jones.
00:35:58Under a little pressure and defending his title here tonight.
00:36:04Why don't you get out?
00:36:05Why don't you get out of here tonight?
00:36:14Punching it out.
00:36:15Punching it out.
00:36:19Couple of good body shots
00:36:21and an uppercut landed inside for Johnson
00:36:23as round six came to a close.
00:36:26They're halfway done.
00:36:31We remind you, coming up next,
00:36:33before the heavyweight championship bout
00:36:34between Holyfield and Moorra,
00:36:36a 130-pound championship fight
00:36:39between John John Molina
00:36:40and former featherweight champion
00:36:42moving up in weight,
00:36:44Goya Vargas of Mexico.
00:36:45Puerto Rico on the left,
00:36:47Mexico on the right.
00:36:48Two very active, tough fighters.
00:36:51This one promises to be a war,
00:36:53and every ringside observer
00:36:54who's seen the two fighters
00:36:55is looking forward to it.
00:36:57Jack Nicholson at ringside
00:36:58with Brie Walker Lampley of Los Angeles,
00:37:04and Jack is celebrating his birthday today.
00:37:06We'll decline to tell you the exact age,
00:37:08but we wish him happy birthday.
00:37:11Look at that pretty lady.
00:37:12Well, she is a pretty lady, isn't she, George?
00:37:14Great.
00:37:15She's a pretty lady
00:37:16even when she sits with me.
00:37:18You know, everybody in the Jones camp
00:37:21has been talking about a showdown
00:37:23with another bantamweight champion
00:37:25from Texas,
00:37:27Orlando Canizales,
00:37:29who has defended his title
00:37:30something like 15 straight times,
00:37:33but right now he's got his hands full
00:37:35with Bam Bam Johnson.
00:37:40One of the great things about boxing, guys,
00:37:42is unlike any other sport,
00:37:44you can be behind 100 or nothing,
00:37:46and you can still win with one shot.
00:37:55Jones, obviously going back to basics now
00:37:58as round seven begins,
00:37:59trying to land that jab.
00:38:00Johnson, more and more confident
00:38:03with each passing round.
00:38:05He's more than in the fight now.
00:38:08He's got a chance.
00:38:22Bam Bam Johnson continues to block
00:38:24a lot of Poison Jones' jabs
00:38:26with his gloves.
00:38:28Every once in a while,
00:38:29Jones will sneak one through the guard.
00:38:30That's when he tries to follow up
00:38:32with the right hand.
00:38:34Because he can sense Johnson
00:38:35waiting to counter a right hand
00:38:37over his jab.
00:38:38So occasionally he just steps in
00:38:39with a right hand to break it up.
00:38:41Tendency a lot of young fighters
00:38:52will have, George,
00:38:53if that jab is blocked,
00:38:54they don't try the second punch
00:38:56in the combination.
00:38:57That's true.
00:38:57You should always go through, right?
00:38:59Go.
00:39:00All right, now Johnson
00:39:01is making Jones miss.
00:39:05You're right.
00:39:05You should always follow through.
00:39:06If you miss, finish up
00:39:08with your combination.
00:39:15Both fighters showing good defense
00:39:17here in round seven,
00:39:18able to make their opponents miss
00:39:21with head movement.
00:39:22of Poison Jr. Jones' 22 knockouts,
00:39:3420 were within seven rounds.
00:39:36So if Bam Bam Johnson
00:39:38makes it through this stanza,
00:39:40the odds favor a 12-round decision.
00:39:43I think Johnson should be
00:39:50a little more confident
00:39:51in the short punches.
00:39:52He just seems to think
00:39:53that he's got to throw
00:39:54a big, long one to make it work.
00:39:58Johnson's shown
00:39:59some pretty good technique,
00:40:00particularly in recent rounds,
00:40:01and now he's the one
00:40:03who's landing the jab.
00:40:04Tries the right hand there,
00:40:06just misses.
00:40:06Oh, you're good.
00:40:09You're good.
00:40:09That's it.
00:40:10I'm ready to finish.
00:40:11In early rounds,
00:40:14Johnson wasn't able
00:40:15to come forward
00:40:16because Junior Jones
00:40:17kept him hopping backward
00:40:19at the end of that jab.
00:40:20Now Michael Johnson
00:40:21comes forward all the time.
00:40:24Junior Jones has the big shoulders.
00:40:26Bam Bam Johnson
00:40:27has the big chin.
00:40:29Something to do
00:40:30with not allowing
00:40:30Bam Bam Johnson
00:40:31to jump on him.
00:40:33I got only one thing
00:40:35to say, Harold.
00:40:36Pace yourself, Katie.
00:40:37Two more fights
00:40:38to go after this, okay?
00:40:41Round eight
00:40:43of a scheduled 12.
00:40:46You saw the punch stat numbers
00:40:47through seven rounds.
00:40:49Junior Johnson landing
00:40:5044%.
00:40:51Check it.
00:40:52John Michael Johnson
00:40:53landing 44%,
00:40:54but Junior Johnson
00:40:55at 36%
00:40:56has thrown
00:40:57more than 200
00:40:58more punches
00:40:59and landed
00:41:00more than 50 more.
00:41:03Poisoned Junior Jones
00:41:04defending his WBA
00:41:05118-pound championship.
00:41:07He's an unbeaten fighter,
00:41:09at 32-0.
00:41:10Very early in his career,
00:41:12five years ago,
00:41:12he scored a four-round decision
00:41:14over this same opponent,
00:41:16John Michael Johnson.
00:41:17But John Michael Johnson
00:41:18has done a lot
00:41:19of getting better
00:41:19since then.
00:41:21Good body shot.
00:41:31Johnson should punch
00:41:32more to the body, George.
00:41:33When he does,
00:41:34Junior stops throwing.
00:41:35You know something,
00:41:36Jones has been in
00:41:36with guys bigger than him.
00:41:38He's accustomed to being
00:41:39knocked around the ring,
00:41:41knocked down.
00:41:42It won't change
00:41:43the way he feels
00:41:43about winning.
00:41:44Johnson better get in there
00:41:45and try to win this fight
00:41:46and forget about
00:41:47that knockdown.
00:41:52In case you joined us late,
00:41:55Poison Junior Jones
00:41:56went down in this fight
00:41:58for the second time
00:41:59in his career.
00:42:00The fourth-round knockdown
00:42:01provided John Michael Johnson
00:42:03with about one minute's
00:42:05worth of opportunity
00:42:05to try to follow up
00:42:07and finish up.
00:42:08And though he landed
00:42:10some big punches
00:42:11in that minute,
00:42:12he couldn't get Poison
00:42:13down or out of there.
00:42:25Johnson for the moment
00:42:26becoming a little bit too much
00:42:27of a stationary target
00:42:28and Jones taking advantage
00:42:30to land a couple of jabs
00:42:32on a left hook.
00:42:34Johnson has a good defense
00:42:35but he hasn't much
00:42:36head movement.
00:42:37And in the lighter weight,
00:42:38you've got to move
00:42:39that head also.
00:42:43And when he moves it,
00:42:44he tends to take it
00:42:45the same way all the time.
00:42:46Cock it to the left
00:42:47and bring it right back.
00:42:48You can time that
00:42:49if you watch it.
00:42:49You can easily time it.
00:42:50Whenever he throws
00:42:53a quick short hook,
00:42:54he hits Junior Jones.
00:42:57Throws a big one,
00:42:58he misses.
00:42:59Couple of good left hooks
00:43:00by Junior Jones.
00:43:07Another chopping right hand
00:43:09by Johnson.
00:43:09That's been his most
00:43:10effective punch.
00:43:11Left hook lands
00:43:12for Johnson.
00:43:13Jones backs up
00:43:14and Johnson sees
00:43:15his opportunity
00:43:16and tries to stop.
00:43:18That's that overhand
00:43:19right he's been waiting
00:43:20on all night.
00:43:21Just underneath
00:43:22that left jab.
00:43:27Poison Jones
00:43:28turns to Michael Johnson,
00:43:30John Michael Johnson,
00:43:31I should say,
00:43:31and says,
00:43:32don't hit me after the break.
00:43:33Come on.
00:43:36Come on, guys!
00:43:37Come on, guys!
00:43:37Come on, guys!
00:43:39Come on!
00:43:40Come on!
00:43:40Come on!
00:43:40Come on!
00:43:41Come on!
00:43:41Come on!
00:43:41Come on!
00:43:42Come on!
00:43:43Come on!
00:43:44Just relax,
00:43:45all right?
00:43:45Take a deep breath.
00:43:47Just relax,
00:43:48take a deep breath.
00:43:49Junior.
00:43:49Yes.
00:43:50I'm not going to yell at you.
00:43:51I'm not.
00:43:51All right?
00:43:52I want you to listen
00:43:53on one thing.
00:43:54When you keep on going back
00:43:56and you don't throw
00:43:57no punches,
00:43:57and that's what's happened.
00:44:00You understand me?
00:44:01He's getting braver
00:44:02and braver.
00:44:03You get inside,
00:44:05you're not really
00:44:05looking to work.
00:44:07After you throw
00:44:07your first combination,
00:44:09you're not looking to work.
00:44:10You see,
00:44:11you've got to be
00:44:11looking to punch.
00:44:12You've got to,
00:44:13you're going away with it.
00:44:14You've got to step
00:44:14with the jab.
00:44:15You've got to fire
00:44:16one combination.
00:44:19Okay,
00:44:20early in the round,
00:44:21Johnson with a short,
00:44:23sharp right hand.
00:44:26And later on,
00:44:27that flurry again
00:44:29near the end of the round.
00:44:31I gave that round
00:44:32to Johnson.
00:44:33The voice you heard
00:44:36in Jones' corner,
00:44:37Joe Fariello,
00:44:40another former disciple
00:44:42of Customato,
00:44:44worked with Customato,
00:44:46with Floyd Patterson,
00:44:48Jose Torres,
00:44:50and others.
00:44:51Most recently was well-known
00:44:54as the trainer
00:44:55of Mark Breland,
00:44:56as Breland attempted
00:44:58the long project
00:44:59of translating
00:45:00his fabulous amateur success
00:45:02into a viable
00:45:02professional career.
00:45:04Mixed success.
00:45:07Fariello is known
00:45:08as a great teacher
00:45:09of punching technique,
00:45:10and Jones has
00:45:12punching technique,
00:45:13certainly more
00:45:14than Johnson.
00:45:15But Johnson has
00:45:16a great will in there,
00:45:17George.
00:45:17He wants it.
00:45:18That's right.
00:45:18He reminds you
00:45:19of a Joe Frazier.
00:45:20He may not have it all,
00:45:21but he's gonna get you all.
00:45:34Good left hand
00:45:34inside for Johnson.
00:45:38Another test
00:45:39for Jones' chin.
00:45:40He turns to referee
00:45:41Richard Steele
00:45:42and says,
00:45:42tell him to stop
00:45:42hitting me on the break.
00:45:48The way to avoid
00:45:49being hit on a break
00:45:50is keep your hands
00:45:51up at all times.
00:46:05Good right hand
00:46:06for Johnson.
00:46:08Poisoned Junior Jones.
00:46:11Far and away
00:46:12the leader in punch output.
00:46:13He's throwing many,
00:46:14many more punches
00:46:14than Johnson,
00:46:15but Johnson
00:46:16is getting more
00:46:17and more efficient
00:46:18with his blows.
00:46:21And there's
00:46:22the chopping right hand
00:46:23once again.
00:46:25Johnson beginning
00:46:26to land that chopping right
00:46:27with lethal accuracy.
00:46:29All night,
00:46:30he's waiting
00:46:30for that left jab
00:46:31to stop powering over,
00:46:33and now it has stopped,
00:46:35and he's taking control
00:46:36because of it.
00:46:37Excellent body shot
00:46:38by John Michael Johnson.
00:46:40And Junior Jones,
00:46:42seemingly helpless
00:46:43in the face
00:46:43of that little chopping right
00:46:45in there, George.
00:46:46You know,
00:46:47the short punches
00:46:48are working all the magic
00:46:49for Johnson.
00:46:52If he continues to do that,
00:46:55it's an easy fight,
00:46:55but staying on the outside
00:46:56trying to get even,
00:46:57that's when the other stuff
00:46:59start to happening to you.
00:47:00Come on, punch and get out.
00:47:01That's when Jones
00:47:02scores with his jab.
00:47:03Right now, Junior Jones
00:47:04is wobbly
00:47:05as round nine
00:47:06begins to come to a close.
00:47:08He's taken a lot
00:47:09of right hands
00:47:09in this round
00:47:10from John Michael Johnson.
00:47:12If you had watched
00:47:15the first three rounds only,
00:47:17you would have thought,
00:47:17well, this is going to be
00:47:18a lopsided whitewash.
00:47:20No longer is that the case.
00:47:28Sweeping right by Jones
00:47:30demonstrates
00:47:31his punches have begun
00:47:32to slow down.
00:47:34The closer the target,
00:47:35the better Johnson does.
00:47:36And there may be
00:47:39a fatigue factor
00:47:41entering into the equation now.
00:47:43Jones appears
00:47:44more tired.
00:47:47You don't need a deep breath.
00:47:47You're all right.
00:47:49Junior, listen to me now.
00:47:51You want to lose the title?
00:47:52No, I don't.
00:47:53You got three rounds to go.
00:47:54You understand me?
00:47:56Three rounds to go.
00:47:57It's just like the Julio fight.
00:47:59You got to suck it up now.
00:48:00You're going back.
00:48:01You're looking to hold
00:48:02on the inside.
00:48:03You're not looking to work.
00:48:04This guy is.
00:48:05You understand?
00:48:06You keep holding like that,
00:48:08he'll tear you apart.
00:48:09You've got to throw punches.
00:48:10Once again,
00:48:11the right hand
00:48:12over that lazy left
00:48:13that Jones sometimes
00:48:15puts down by his side.
00:48:18And Johnson has been able
00:48:19to capitalize on it.
00:48:21This is one tough kid
00:48:22who is in great shape.
00:48:28Our punches
00:48:29in round number nine.
00:48:31Hooks, crosses, uppercuts.
00:48:33Johnson outlanded
00:48:35Junior Jones
00:48:3632-10.
00:48:45And you heard Fariello
00:48:46putting the pressure
00:48:47on his charge
00:48:48saying you have got
00:48:49to snap it up
00:48:50if you're going to hold
00:48:51on to this title.
00:48:52champion in the red trunks,
00:49:04challenger in the black.
00:49:07Junior Jones
00:49:07has never been beaten.
00:49:08Jones' punch is now wide
00:49:21and winging.
00:49:22Johnson, shorter,
00:49:24more economical.
00:49:26Jones lands the left there.
00:49:27You know that right hand
00:49:28is over that left jab.
00:49:30He's waited for it all night
00:49:31and is paying off for him.
00:49:32He should be proud of it.
00:49:33His son is going to want
00:49:34an autograph from him tonight.
00:49:37Johnson is doing
00:49:37a fine job.
00:49:54Johnson has to be
00:49:56very careful
00:49:56not to get overconfident now.
00:49:58because Junior Jones
00:50:04can really punch.
00:50:06A good right hand
00:50:07on a left hook,
00:50:08he'll have things
00:50:08back in his hands.
00:50:13Keep everything short,
00:50:14Johnson should.
00:50:20Chopping right hand
00:50:21to the back of the head
00:50:22by Johnson.
00:50:23Still hurts when you get it
00:50:24on the back of the head.
00:50:25The short punches
00:50:28for Johnson
00:50:28are really great.
00:50:29Jones clearly want
00:50:30to stay on the outside
00:50:31and land combinations
00:50:33behind the left jab.
00:50:35Said about this moment
00:50:36that Junior Jones
00:50:37would like for this
00:50:37to be a 10-round fight,
00:50:38but it's not.
00:50:40There'll be two more
00:50:41stanzas after this one.
00:50:51That right hand
00:50:52starts to land
00:50:53on your ear
00:50:54after two rounds.
00:50:55You can't hear anything
00:50:56your trainers are seeing
00:50:57in the corner anyway.
00:51:00Good sequence
00:51:01by Jones there,
00:51:02but still
00:51:02long, looping punches.
00:51:06John Michael Johnson
00:51:07gets inside.
00:51:09He controls the action.
00:51:11Jones must muster
00:51:12the energy
00:51:13to keep throwing the jab
00:51:14and try to keep
00:51:15Johnson away.
00:51:17And he's got to keep
00:51:18the left hand up.
00:51:20Jones clearly puts
00:51:21both hands up
00:51:22to protect his chin.
00:51:24That's easy
00:51:25for an uppercut.
00:51:25You can wonder
00:51:26why Junior Jones
00:51:27hasn't thrown anything
00:51:28uppercut fashion.
00:51:29He had after 10 rounds.
00:51:43Larry, 7-3, 96-93,
00:51:47Junior Jones.
00:51:47I think that
00:51:48John Michael Johnson
00:51:49really listened to me
00:51:50after the 7th round
00:51:51because he certainly
00:51:51fought in the 8th
00:51:52and the 9th.
00:51:53But unfortunately,
00:51:54I thought Junior Jones
00:51:55outboxed him
00:51:55in the 10th round.
00:51:57Junior's piling up
00:51:58a big lead.
00:51:59I think John Michael
00:51:59Jackson will need
00:52:00these two rounds
00:52:01to pull this out.
00:52:03Agreed.
00:52:04Okay, John.
00:52:05You guys remind me
00:52:06of that old Bible
00:52:07scripture,
00:52:08Judge Not.
00:52:09You're controlling
00:52:10the fight.
00:52:10The only thing
00:52:11you got to do is
00:52:11drop him one more time.
00:52:14John, we ain't
00:52:15dropping one more time.
00:52:16Judge Not.
00:52:16Let's need to be judged.
00:52:18No, I mean,
00:52:18this guy is winning
00:52:20this fight.
00:52:20Johnson is winning
00:52:21this fight.
00:52:22Well, they don't think
00:52:23so in the corner,
00:52:24George,
00:52:24because the instructions
00:52:25they gave him
00:52:26going out was
00:52:27you must drop him
00:52:28one more time.
00:52:30And on Harold's
00:52:31scorecard and my
00:52:32scorecard,
00:52:33that's the way it looks,
00:52:34that he has to get
00:52:35three points in these
00:52:36last two rounds
00:52:37to pull it out.
00:52:40I think we can
00:52:41probably all agree,
00:52:42we can probably all agree
00:52:43just to sum this up,
00:52:45that Jones
00:52:45probably has the edge
00:52:47on the scorecards
00:52:48at this moment,
00:52:49but Johnson certainly
00:52:49has a chance,
00:52:51at least an outside chance,
00:52:52to win the fight.
00:52:53Not only that,
00:52:54Junior Jones has
00:52:55defended himself,
00:52:56he's no longer fighting,
00:52:57he's strictly in defense
00:52:59of himself.
00:53:00Any judge should see that.
00:53:02Certainly can see it
00:53:03in the last 10 seconds
00:53:04as Johnson has gone back
00:53:05to landing,
00:53:06chopping right hands.
00:53:07Junior Jones doesn't
00:53:07have his legs,
00:53:08he's got no legs anymore.
00:53:10He's in trouble,
00:53:10and he's gonna go down again.
00:53:12Okay, that's the second
00:53:13time you hit him
00:53:14when he's down.
00:53:14Four, five,
00:53:16So Richard Steele
00:53:17points out that
00:53:18it's the second time
00:53:19Johnson has hit Jones
00:53:20while he was down,
00:53:21but he still did not
00:53:22deduct a penalty point.
00:53:24Wait, time.
00:53:26The second time,
00:53:27one point.
00:53:27Now he's gonna deduct
00:53:29a penalty point.
00:53:30And that could cost him
00:53:31the fight.
00:53:33Get back in your corner.
00:53:36Richard Steele
00:53:37is right in my judgment.
00:53:39That was a very big
00:53:40penalty point.
00:53:41It was indeed
00:53:42the second time
00:53:43in the fight
00:53:43that Johnson had hit Jones
00:53:45while he was down.
00:53:46There's been one knockdown
00:53:47here in the 11.
00:53:48Remember that the three
00:53:49knockdown rule
00:53:50is in effect.
00:53:51And Steele stops it.
00:53:56I thought that was
00:53:58a quick stoppage
00:53:59of a champion.
00:54:01He deserved the right
00:54:02to be knocked out
00:54:03to lose his title.
00:54:06George, you disagree.
00:54:07Hey, this guy won
00:54:08this fight
00:54:09from the opening bell
00:54:10when Junior Jones
00:54:10was throwing all his punches.
00:54:12He was a head-on punch
00:54:13in my mind,
00:54:14and he won it clearly
00:54:14by a knockout.
00:54:15Hallelujah.
00:54:16If you're from Texas.
00:54:21I think two things
00:54:23got to Junior Jones,
00:54:24the heat
00:54:25and the relentlessness
00:54:26of John Michael Johnson.
00:54:28I love y'all.
00:54:29Junior Jones,
00:54:30a fine fighter.
00:54:31He was doing everything,
00:54:32but he threw too much
00:54:33away in this desert
00:54:34on that hard left jab.
00:54:36He put too much power
00:54:37into it.
00:54:37And in the fourth round,
00:54:38he didn't have any strength.
00:54:39I remember a night
00:54:41many years ago here, George,
00:54:43when a relatively unknown
00:54:45fighter named Stevie Cruz
00:54:46upset a world champion
00:54:48named Barry McGuigan
00:54:49when McGuigan simply
00:54:50gave out in the heat.
00:54:52Cruz, who was from Texas,
00:54:54knew it would happen.
00:54:55Johnson told us yesterday
00:54:56that he would win this fight
00:54:58just like Stevie Cruz.
00:54:59Woo!
00:55:01San Antonio!
00:55:04San Antonio, indeed.
00:55:05Let's take another look
00:55:06at the end of the fight.
00:55:08Now, remember that Jones
00:55:11has already been knocked down
00:55:12in the round
00:55:12and is wobbly
00:55:13as Johnson attacks.
00:55:15He had no legs
00:55:16after those first couple
00:55:17of knock-
00:55:17that first knockdown.
00:55:18He's been defending himself
00:55:19all night.
00:55:20Now, this guy's just sizing him up
00:55:22to throw that right hand
00:55:23and he delivers on time.
00:55:27So, another stoppage
00:55:28which will long be talked about
00:55:31by referee Richard Steele.
00:55:34He had the courage
00:55:35to deduct the point
00:55:36and he had the courage
00:55:38then to make the stoppage.
00:55:39And for the official particulars,
00:55:41let's go up to Michael Buffer.
00:55:43Ladies and gentlemen,
00:55:44referee Richard Steele
00:55:46has to step in
00:55:47and call a halt to the bout.
00:55:49The official time,
00:55:50one minute,
00:55:5121 seconds
00:55:52of round number 11.
00:55:54The winner by TKO
00:55:56and new WBA Bantamweight champion
00:56:00of the world,
00:56:02John Michael Bambam Johnson.
00:56:13Ladies and gentlemen,
00:56:14a round of applause, please,
00:56:16for this young man from New York,
00:56:18only his first defeat.
00:56:19He's still a little bit.
00:56:21Let's hear it for him.
00:56:22A stunned crowd at ringside
00:56:38watching a massive upset.
00:56:40Poison Junior Jones,
00:56:41ranked by many
00:56:42as one of the best
00:56:43pound-for-pound fighters
00:56:44in the sport,
00:56:45whacked out
00:56:46in the 11th round
00:56:47by John Michael Johnson.
00:56:49Final punch stat numbers.
00:56:51Jones,
00:56:51according to George Foreman,
00:56:53wasted too much energy
00:56:54throwing those 820 punches.
00:56:57Johnson
00:56:57waited for his chances,
00:56:59wound up with a 50%
00:57:01connect percentage,
00:57:02and in power punches,
00:57:03the edge again belonged
00:57:05to Johnson,
00:57:06who landed
00:57:06190 power shots
00:57:08in the bout,
00:57:1060 more,
00:57:1159 to be accurate,
00:57:13more than Poison Junior Jones.
00:57:15That ultimately
00:57:15was the difference.
00:57:16Larry Merchant
00:57:17stands by with the winner.
00:57:23All right,
00:57:24Bam Bam Johnson,
00:57:25congratulations.
00:57:26Champ,
00:57:28what happened
00:57:29after three rounds
00:57:31in which you seemed
00:57:32to be outclassed?
00:57:33You hurt him badly
00:57:34in the fourth round.
00:57:35You described
00:57:36your feelings
00:57:37about the fight
00:57:37at that time.
00:57:38Well,
00:57:38I knew I could take him
00:57:40deep into the fight.
00:57:41I knew I could take him on.
00:57:42I wasn't getting hurt
00:57:43with none of his punches.
00:57:43I was trying to slip more
00:57:45of his punches,
00:57:45tried to peel him out,
00:57:46and I did the best I can
00:57:48from not getting hit,
00:57:49but then I hurt my shoulder.
00:57:50He caught me with a thing
00:57:51of hooking my shoulder
00:57:52and it started hurting
00:57:53because I started
00:57:53lack of throwing,
00:57:54but I was still strong enough
00:57:56to throw it and hurt him.
00:57:57All right,
00:57:58we're going to take a look
00:57:58at the end of the fight.
00:58:00Were you a little surprised
00:58:01that they stopped the fight
00:58:02when they did?
00:58:03Well,
00:58:04not really.
00:58:05He was hurt.
00:58:05It was just a matter of time.
00:58:06If my shoulder wasn't hurting
00:58:10that bad,
00:58:10it still hurts right now.
00:58:12I don't know why I got hit,
00:58:13but I mean...
00:58:15Why was the right hand
00:58:16so open for you?
00:58:17Well,
00:58:17he dropped his jab.
00:58:18I practiced.
00:58:19I saw his tape.
00:58:21As you can see,
00:58:22he never picks up his jab.
00:58:23He never picks up his jab.
00:58:24His hand was always low,
00:58:25so I started to corner
00:58:26and grab his jab
00:58:27off his punches.
00:58:28Boom,
00:58:28right there.
00:58:28Your corner told you
00:58:29that you needed a knockdown
00:58:31to win the fight
00:58:32before that round.
00:58:34Definitely,
00:58:34because if I take him
00:58:35and go to the distance,
00:58:36I was easily going to lose
00:58:37if I was behind points.
00:58:38I mean,
00:58:38it could be close,
00:58:38but he would get his decision
00:58:39because he's the world champion.
00:58:41When the referee
00:58:42took the point away from you,
00:58:44did you think you had
00:58:45blown the knockdown?
00:58:46No,
00:58:46definitely not.
00:58:47I wasn't going to come back
00:58:47even devastated more.
00:58:49I knew I had to knock him down
00:58:50again or hurt him
00:58:51because being a point induction,
00:58:53I knew I had to come back at him.
00:58:54I knew.
00:58:55Congratulations.
00:58:56You've come a long way.
00:58:57I'd like to say hi,
00:58:57everybody back in San Antonio.
00:58:59Adolph,
00:58:59everybody supporting me.
00:59:01Okay,
00:59:01Jim.
00:59:03And a final look
00:59:09at the champion,
00:59:10John Michael Johnson.
00:59:12We told you,
00:59:12never before in his career
00:59:14had he cashed
00:59:15more than 2,000 bucks
00:59:16after a fight.
00:59:17Tonight,
00:59:18he was getting 20.
00:59:19The next paycheck
00:59:20will be bigger
00:59:21for the new WBA
00:59:23Bantamweight champion
00:59:24of the world.
00:59:24He's got a wife at home
00:59:25with two kids
00:59:26in San Antonio,
00:59:27and she's bound
00:59:28to be ecstatic about that.
00:59:30And now,
00:59:31a classy,
00:59:32poisoned Junior Jones
00:59:33also agrees
00:59:34to an interview.
00:59:34Larry?
00:59:36Junior,
00:59:37he kept hitting you
00:59:38with that right hand.
00:59:40Why?
00:59:41Well,
00:59:41I just,
00:59:42I just didn't do
00:59:43the right things tonight.
00:59:44I have no excuse.
00:59:46I just didn't do
00:59:47the right things.
00:59:48Were you dropping
00:59:49that hand
00:59:50when you got in
00:59:51close with him?
00:59:52Was it just carelessness
00:59:53or was he wearing you down?
00:59:55I think it was more
00:59:56I was just being careless.
00:59:57I wasn't really,
00:59:59I wasn't thinking
00:59:59the way I should have
01:00:00been thinking.
01:00:00It wasn't that
01:00:01I was just being careless.
01:00:03You pulled yourself
01:00:04together after the
01:00:05first knockdown.
01:00:06What about in the last round?
01:00:08Do you think
01:00:09you could have gone on?
01:00:11I think I could have
01:00:12went on.
01:00:13You know,
01:00:13this is part of boxing.
01:00:14You know,
01:00:15you get hit with good shots,
01:00:17you just got to come back.
01:00:18I think I would have
01:00:19came back.
01:00:20Thank you very much,
01:00:21Junior.
01:00:21We'll be seeing you again.
01:00:23Richard Steele,
01:00:24tell us your thoughts
01:00:25about what happened
01:00:26in that last round.
01:00:28Well,
01:00:28the last round,
01:00:29you know,
01:00:29the young man was hurt
01:00:31and there was no way
01:00:32for him to go
01:00:34about to go down
01:00:35and be seriously hurt.
01:00:36I thought I stopped him
01:00:37for taking further punishment,
01:00:39you know.
01:00:40All right,
01:00:41let's take a look
01:00:41at what happened
01:00:42at the end of the fight.
01:00:43You took a point away
01:00:44from Johnson
01:00:45because it was the second time
01:00:46he had hit him
01:00:47when he was down.
01:00:48But you thought
01:00:49at that time
01:00:49that the champion Jones
01:00:51was really out of it.
01:00:53Yes,
01:00:54he was getting very weak
01:00:55for some reason.
01:00:57You know,
01:00:57I thought he came in weak.
01:00:58Maybe the weight,
01:01:00losing the weight hurt him,
01:01:01but he was very weak
01:01:02from the middle of the fight.
01:01:05Thank you very much,
01:01:06Richard.
01:01:07And now up to James Brown.
01:01:10All right, Larry,
01:01:11thank you very much.
01:01:12And a stunned crowd indeed.
01:01:13And a number of other folks
01:01:14are stunned.
01:01:14And we're going to talk
01:01:15to a couple of them
01:01:16in just a second here.
01:01:16But John Michael Johnson
01:01:18mentioned that
01:01:18the second time
01:01:19in his bout
01:01:20with Junior Jones
01:01:21would in fact be the charm
01:01:22and it proved to be the case.
01:01:24He said he watched
01:01:24plenty of tape
01:01:25from that first match
01:01:26and that he was
01:01:26a far different fighter.
01:01:28Did not have enough weapons
01:01:29in his arsenal.
01:01:30He had enough tonight.
01:01:31He waited for the opportunity
01:01:32and capitalized on it.
01:01:34All right,
01:01:34a couple of guys
01:01:34whose expert opinions
01:01:35we can certainly draw on
01:01:36right now.
01:01:37Not only to talk about
01:01:38the match that was
01:01:39just completed,
01:01:39but the upcoming
01:01:40heavyweight championship match.
01:01:42Two guys who are considered
01:01:43to be the best
01:01:44pound-for-pound champions
01:01:46in the sport today.
01:01:47Sweet Peep,
01:01:47Pernell Whitaker,
01:01:48welterweight extraordinaire.
01:01:49Good to see you again.
01:01:50Oh, it's good to be here.
01:01:51It's a lovely afternoon.
01:01:53I'm kind of sad
01:01:53before Junior Jones,
01:01:54but I'm sure he can
01:01:56pick his head up
01:01:56and come back.
01:01:57Now, you know Junior Jones
01:01:58quite well.
01:01:59I guess, quick recap,
01:02:00what were the major
01:02:01mistakes he made?
01:02:02Well, first of all,
01:02:02you know, once you get hurt,
01:02:03you know, once you,
01:02:04you're kind of quizzing,
01:02:07you should be able
01:02:08to hold on.
01:02:08I tried to tell Junior
01:02:10when I was down there
01:02:10to grab to hold on
01:02:12for a little while
01:02:13and clear your head.
01:02:14You know, once you're hurt,
01:02:15you can't fight back.
01:02:16You can't actually fight back
01:02:17and that's where
01:02:17he made his mistake.
01:02:18All right,
01:02:19and the other pound-for-pound
01:02:20champion that I talked about,
01:02:21James Tony,
01:02:22the super middleweight champion.
01:02:23And James,
01:02:23thank you very much
01:02:24for joining us.
01:02:25And I must admit
01:02:25that James is a little queasy
01:02:27about being up high.
01:02:28We're about three stories
01:02:29high right now
01:02:30and this is the only opponent
01:02:31that I've seen James Tony
01:02:32a little nervous about,
01:02:33but you're going to be okay.
01:02:34Yeah, man,
01:02:34I'm not too fine on heights
01:02:35and with no support,
01:02:37like we got ropes
01:02:38and everything,
01:02:38it's kind of rough up here.
01:02:40Let's move ahead
01:02:41and talk about the main event.
01:02:43You know Michael Moore.
01:02:44Many people don't know Michael Moore.
01:02:46He has a demeanor
01:02:47of being very detached,
01:02:49very aloof.
01:02:49Is that the real Michael Moore
01:02:51or is he playing games
01:02:52with the public?
01:02:53Well, what you're seeing
01:02:53is basically the real Michael Moore
01:02:54is a quiet person
01:02:55until somebody stares him up.
01:02:57And I think it's good for him.
01:02:59When I seen Michael Moore
01:02:59the other day,
01:03:00he's in the right frame of mind
01:03:01and he's ready.
01:03:02And when Michael Moore
01:03:03is in the right frame of mind,
01:03:04he'll have everything intact.
01:03:06Can't nobody out there stop him.
01:03:07Well, speaking of being ready, Pernell,
01:03:09that's one thing.
01:03:10Evander Holyfield
01:03:11has never accused
01:03:12of not being ready.
01:03:13But again,
01:03:14he's fighting a southpaw.
01:03:15You can certainly speak
01:03:16to the uniqueness
01:03:17of that style.
01:03:18What will be most problematic
01:03:20for Evander going
01:03:20against a southpaw?
01:03:21Well, you have to have
01:03:22the perfect angles.
01:03:23I'm sure in the gym
01:03:24and training camp,
01:03:25the trainer went over
01:03:26time and time again
01:03:27which way he has to go,
01:03:29which way he has to move
01:03:30his feet
01:03:30and what to be thinking about.
01:03:32Actually,
01:03:32he can't be looking
01:03:33at the left hand
01:03:34because the right hook
01:03:35is always there.
01:03:36But me knowing Evander,
01:03:38he's been around
01:03:38in the game a long time.
01:03:40He's capable of adapting
01:03:42to any kind of style.
01:03:43But it's going to be
01:03:44a great fight.
01:03:45You know,
01:03:45the fans are going
01:03:45to get a very good treat.
01:03:47Quickly,
01:03:47what's it going to take
01:03:48for Michael Moore
01:03:49to do it?
01:03:50He's trying to become
01:03:50the first southpaw
01:03:52heavyweight champion ever.
01:03:53What's it going to take,
01:03:53James?
01:03:54What Michael is going to do,
01:03:55he can't sit back
01:03:55and wait on Evander.
01:03:57He has to go to him
01:03:58right away,
01:03:59put the pressure to him,
01:04:00make Evander fight
01:04:01when he don't want to fight.
01:04:02And if he do that,
01:04:03he'll be successful
01:04:04and he'll be
01:04:05the new heavyweight champ.
01:04:06All right.
01:04:06Hey, fellas,
01:04:07thank you very much.
01:04:08I truly appreciate it.
01:04:09Got to ask you,
01:04:10though,
01:04:10now,
01:04:11and I know,
01:04:11putting modesty aside,
01:04:12putting friendship aside,
01:04:14who do you like and why?
01:04:15Oh, well,
01:04:16of course,
01:04:16my heart is with Evander.
01:04:17And, you know,
01:04:18it's been a long time
01:04:19with the 10 years
01:04:20that we've spent together
01:04:22through the Olympics
01:04:22and up to date.
01:04:25But I think
01:04:25with the frame of mind,
01:04:26he's ready.
01:04:27He's out there.
01:04:27He's ready to go
01:04:28to his job.
01:04:28But any lack of days
01:04:30or loss of focus,
01:04:32he loses to fight.
01:04:33How's your basketball game?
01:04:34Oh,
01:04:34second-ranked NBA.
01:04:35Anybody watching?
01:04:36My family knows I'm good.
01:04:38All right.
01:04:39Pernell and James,
01:04:40Tony,
01:04:40thank you very much.
01:04:40We'll get you off
01:04:41of this high scaffolding, fellas.
01:04:42Thank you very much.
01:04:43Coming up next,
01:04:44the Junior Lightning.
01:04:45Hawks by four.
01:04:46They win by...