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Johnson vs. Woods II- Win, Lose, but Please No Draws
Feb 5, 2004 By Brent Hedtke On November 7th of last year, Glencoffe Johnson, 39-9-2 27 KO's and Clinton Woods, 35-2-1 21 KO's squared off for the IBF Light Heavyweight strap that was vacated by Antonio Tarver. The showdown between the two war-torn ring veterans was the definition of a pick em' fight and more than a few fight fans were unable to decide on a favorite. For 12 see-saw rounds the Sheffield native Woods and the Jamaican born Johnson threw every punch in the book at one another and provided the English crowd with more fireworks than a Naseem Hamed ring walk. When the final tallies of 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114 were read, it cemented what most observers were thinking; this one was just too close to call. This time though, neither fighter has any intention of involving the judges in determining the outcome. Glen Johnson has seen his share of ups and downs through his nearly eleven years as a pro. He started off his career with an eye-catching record of 32-0 with 21 ending inside the final bell. Johnson capped off his unbeaten streak with a unanimous 10 round decision over then undefeated Sam Garr and a 2nd round TKO of Dave Hamilton. His first professional loss came at the hands of longtime middleweight king Bernard Hopkins. The Executioner proved to be too much for the undefeated challenger and Johnson's corner was forced to throw in the towel in the sixth round. He has since gone 7-8-2 but he has never looked better than in his recent controversial draws with Woods and Daniel Judah and his career defining victory over top contender Eric Harding. In September of 2002, Clinton Woods became another feather in Roy Jones's Pound for Pound cap. Most thought Johnson was just an active participant in Roy's "Bum of the Month Club" (or with Roy's fight schedule, "Bum of the Year Club"), but Woods has since pulled himself up off of the proverbial canvas and re-vitalized his career. Coming off of three consecutive KO victories since the Jones fight, Woods has garnered himself a #7 ranking by The Ring Magazine (just two spots below Johnson) and an avid following in his hometown of Sheffield. The first fight solidified Woods and Johnson as consummate professionals and ring practitioners of the highest level. The winner of the rematch this Friday will no doubt raise his profile in the 175 lb. class and possibly swim closer to the waters in which Tarver and Jones lurk. So what can we expect from the two in the rematch? Both will be looking to end it before the 12th and end it convincingly. They know each other's styles and what to expect from the man in the opposite corner. Woods will need to use his height and reach advantage to fend off Johnson's trademark rushes. In the first fight Woods spent too much time on the ropes which nullified his natural physical advantages over the Johnson and in turn played right into Johnson's plan of bombarding Woods early in the rounds and wearing him down. Johnson on the other hand will need to pace himself and use his jab when he gets fatigued. He will have to cut off the ring and try to corner Woods and save his rushes for the right moment. When he finds his "moment" though, he'll have to try to close the show more effectively than he did in the first couple rounds of their first encounter when he came out like a bulldozer. He will have to try to repeat his performance on the inside as well. When he was able to get in close and work over Woods' body, he made Clinton's razor like jab seem non-existent. If he can pull all these aspects together he just might get the victory that many felt he eeked out the last time around. Both men would like nothing more than be able to call themselves a "champion" and win the IBF belt that was kept from them by Hopkins and Jones, respectively. Once again, this is a pick em' fight just like the first one. My gut tells me that Johnson will get the decision by a narrow margin, but expect the unexpected when these two seasoned pro's do it one more time this Friday night. Email questions or comments to Brent at: kentuckyheatwagon@hotmail.com Discuss This Topic at the Message Boards. |
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