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Photo © Mr Will/HoganPhotos.com
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After working hard and achieving a goal, there’s nothing like soaking it up and enjoying the moment. That’s exactly what Glen ‘The Road Warrior’ Johnson has been doing following his exciting split decision win over Antonio Tarver in December. Johnson’s entire career has been the path less traveled, as he has fought all over the world in his quest to find his true place in the sport. With a breakout year in 2004 that saw him capture the IBF Light Heavyweight belt overseas, and then go on to defeat Roy Jones and Tarver, Johnson truly appears to be at the pinnacle of his career and the story is far from over. Johnson stopped by BraggingRightsCorner and shared his thoughts with us.
Keeping busy and enjoying the moment…
‘Things have been good, ya know? I can’t complain. Basically I’ve just been doing media interviews and running around, staying busy. I enjoy it, it's not a burden to me. It’s a new thing to me so I’m enjoying it. Maybe to some guys it gets old but maybe they’ve been doing it their whole life. I’ve just been enjoying the moment.’
Waiting for the decision after the Tarver fight…
‘It was a close fight and I never usually get the decision in a close fight so obviously I was holding my breath. Finally they said I was the winner and I was like ‘Wow,’ I finally had gotten the decision in a close one. I’m thankful and enjoying it.’
The Tarver fight…
‘It was a good fight but he basically ran around all night. I chased him around the ring all night. He was supposed to be the bigger, stronger guy and all I was hearing before the fight was how hard he hit and how much bigger he was. Coming into the ring all the talk didn’t matter and he was running for dear life.'
Working construction on the side earlier in his career…
‘I was a carpenter for a majority of my boxing years. Anybody who’s familiar with construction work knows it's hard, physical work. You would have to do that then go to the gym in the evening to train, and anybody who knows what that is like knows it’s tough. You would have to balance your schedules and do a lot of running around. My days were very stretched out. I put a lot of hours in.
You have days where you are more tired than others, depending on your work load that day. If you have a heavy work load your body starts to break down and you really have to ask yourself what you want out of life. You have to recharge yourself, and it can take a day or two, but you just recharge and go at it again.’
Hot Spot…
‘All the places I’ve fought I have enjoyed and they are all unique but to me, I would have to say the greatest place to me is Memphis, (Tennessee). People treated me very well out there and it's where the Roy Jones fight happened. It was my night to shine, I was under the spotlight in front of a big crowd. Everybody saw me that night. Memphis... the city is wonderful and the people are great. The recognition of beating Roy Jones just adds to it.
Training camp…
‘I definitely need at least a couple of months. I like to get 3 months in. When it comes down to it I keep my weight in place and don’t have weight troubles. I do some sparring, about 3 days a week.’
Meeting his manager, Henry ‘The Main Man’ Foster…
‘Ever since I was boxing I knew Henry from the gyms. We’ve been friends for a good 17 years now. I would go to different gyms in Miami and I would run into him. He took a liking to me and likewise. We’d always recognize each other no matter what time or location we were at. When the opportunity came, I knew he was a manager, and I was free of my contract and he picked me up.’
Working with his trainer Orlando Cuellar…
‘He’s definitely intense and that’s what I need in a trainer. That’s one of the great chemistries that we have. He trains me the way I like to be trained and I’m able to bring that intensity into the ring.
Born and raised…
‘I was born in Jamaica. Clarendon, Jamaica. It is central Jamaica, right in the middle. My childhood was excellent. I enjoyed myself a lot. I came to the US at the age of 14, to Miami, and I’ve been there ever since.’
Jr. Middleweight champion Kassim ‘The Dream’ Ouma…
‘Kassim Ouma is a good friend of mine and I know him well. Ouma is a great fighter. I love him as a person and I love him as a fighter. I like his style of fighting. He has a great attitude, he’s always a happy guy. I do think Winky Wright would give him a challenge if they ever meet. I think he would be difficult for Ouma because he has a similar style. Ouma throws more punches but Wright has a very tight defense and an awesome jab. It's hard to pick a winner in that one, but with his experience I would have to go with Wright.’
The much anticipated Winky Wright-Felix Trinidad clash…
‘That’s a good, exciting fight. I won’t miss that one. Felix looked good in his last fight but I would have to give the edge to Wright because of his overall ability. His defense is great and he can be offensive too. Felix’s chin and defense have always been questionable.’
Best experiences in the fight game…
‘I’d have to go with my wins. I’ve seen so many bad decisions, any time I get a win I’m excited.’
Vitali Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman at Madison Square Garden …
‘That’s another exciting fight. Anything can happen in that one. We all know the Klitschkos quit when the going gets tough and Rahman does have a punch. Rahman was exciting in his last fight, so who knows. Rahman has a great chance. You’d have to go with Klitschko to win the fight, but not by much.’
David Estrada vs. Shane Mosley…
‘That’s a good fight. Those 2 fights with Wright have seemed to take something from Mosley and he needs to come back and prove himself to everyone. Estrada is a good fighter, he has an offensive style. From my heart I’d go with Estrada, but if I had to bet my money I’d go with Shane.’
Outside of boxing…
‘Outside of boxing I’m busy with my family. I’m also trying to put a company together. I’m trying to create a company for myself for when I get out of boxing. It’s basically real estate, I would buy and remodel homes, and then resell them.’
Hostile Territory…
‘It's always difficult going into somebody’s hometown because you have everyone rooting against you. You basically just have to go in there and do your job. I just go in there and do my thing, no matter where I’m fighting. I’ve fought all over and I’ll fight anywhere. Sometimes you have to do those things. It's just the reality of life..."
Attitude…
‘My hard work, dedication, and belief in myself as a man is the attitude I take inside the ring. I may have lost but I’ve never been defeated. Defeat is something I never fear.’
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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Interview by Chris Robinson (March 2, 2005)
