BY THE NUMBERS: MARVIN JOHNSON By Don Stradley • Illustration by KronkAAArt
rounds with Matthew Saad Muhammad »
Johnson’s legacy as a crowd-pleasing warrior could be summed up by his two bouts with Saad Muhammad, who fought in those days as Matthew Franklin. Their first bout, in July 1977 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, ended Johnson’s undefeated run when Saad Muhammad scored a TKO in the 12th round. It had been a competitive contest and the scorecards were split three ways, though the United Press reported that Johnson was on his way “to an easy victory.” Muhammad’s win was considered an upset, since Johnson seemed ready for a title shot and stardom. When Johnson won the WBC belt in 1978, Saad Muhammad was in line for a title shot. Johnson could’ve taken an easier opponent for his first defense, but he wasn’t about to sidestep anyone and probably thought he could avenge his previous loss. The rematch turned out to be a condensed version of their first bout, with Johnson getting out to an early lead and Saad Muhammad coming on strong and scoring a TKO at 1:44 of Round 8. Johnson objected to referee George DeFabis stopping the bout, but he was not in any condition to continue. Saad Muhammad, exhausted and barely able to see from his battered eyes, praised Johnson as “the best light heavyweight I ever fought.” The final bloody round was chosen as The Ring’s 1979 Round of the Year. fight in Serbia » Sometimes you should just stay home and have food delivered, which Johnson learned in 1978 when he went to Serbia to fight Lottie Mwale, a Zambian amateur star at the beginning of his pro career. As Johnson told the story on his return home, his camp had signed for a 10-round fight. After eight, however, the referee inexplicably stopped the bout and awarded it to Mwale by decision. “We thought [Mwale] had retired and couldn’t come out for the ninth,” Johnson said. “The referee said something to us, but we couldn’t understand the language. He went over and raised [Mwale’s] hand.” Johnson took the loss as a fluke and harbored no bad feelings about Serbia. “The people were very nice,” he said.
Marvin Johnson was only 33 years old when he retired in 1987, yet he’d long been known in the boxing world as “Pops.” Granted, he’d always seemed mature for his age, thanks partly to a soft-spoken demeanor and a hairline that began retreating when he was 20. Also, this gutsy southpaw from Indianapolis, Indiana, was competing among an absolute firestorm of light heavyweights, engaging in contests that one writer described as “mini holocausts,” the sort that could add years to anyone’s visage. Here’s his story by the numbers.
straight wins after losing to Michael Spinks » The boxing intelligentsia of 1981 believed Johnson’s career was over after a dramatic knockout loss to Michael Spinks in Atlantic City. A left uppercut from Spinks left Johnson unconscious at 1:22 of Round 4. Even though he’d dominated Spinks right up to the last moment, it was Johnson’s fifth loss and the sort of bludgeoning knockout from which fighters don’t recover easily. Yet he came back. And it was during this part of his career that Johnson became a beloved cult hero. He became Pops. Johnson had considered quitting and even applied for factory work, anything to pay the bills and take care of his wife and children. Yet he knew he could make more money through boxing. A year after the loss to Spinks, he began fighting his way back up the ladder one rung at a time. And he was candid about his motives, often saying that he wasn’t trying to make history, but was only trying to make money. Over the next half-decade, he scored impressive wins over perennial contender Eddie Davis and future titlist Prince Charles Williams. In 1984, The Ring selected Johnson as Comeback Fighter of the Year. This late- career hot streak culminated with his win over Stewart for the WBA title in 1986. “The critics said I couldn’t do it,” Johnson said. “They called me old, but I’ve been called old ever since I was 16.” Johnson retired with a record of 43-6 with 35 knockouts. By then he had a regular job at the Marion County jail as a corrections officer. Steady income was nice, and his reputation as one of the best fighters of an era was solid. The World Boxing Hall of Fame inducted him in 2008, but a call from the International Hall of Fame is yet to happen. If thrills count, Pops should’ve been enshrined in Canastota years ago. He taught us all to never give up, to have faith in one’s talent, and above all else, to stay out of Serbia.
bronze medal » Johnson, a recent graduate of Crispus Attucks High
School, was one of four American boxers to win medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics, defeating opponents from West Germany and Cuba before losing to a Soviet fighter in the semifinal. The Russian, Vyacheslav Lemeshev, went on to win the gold medal. On his return from Germany, Johnson described his placing as a disappointment. “The bronze medal – it’s not what I wanted, but it’s better than nothing,” he said.
fight winning streak to start his pro career » Turning pro in May 1973, Johnson collected wins over such journeymen as Gary Summerhays, Ray Anderson and Tom “The
Bomb” Bethea. Johnson’s turf was Indianapolis and Philadelphia, where he became a fan favorite. His flashy robes and carefully groomed mustache were eye- catching, but it was his aggressive style that made Johnson stand out. “The appeal I have doesn’t really have anything to do with me,” Johnson said, “but with the way I fight.” By 1987, while Mike Tyson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns were all providing thrills and earning millions of dollars, World Boxing magazine dubbed Johnson “boxing’s most entertaining fighter.”
turns as light heavyweight titlist » Johnson won his first light heavyweight title in December 1978, traveling to Italy to defeat WBC titlist Mate Parlov by TKO in 10. He would lose the belt four months later to Matthew Saad Muhammad in an unforgettable eight- round brawl. Not one to waste time, Johnson picked up the WBA light heavyweight belt in November 1979, stopping the rugged Argentine titlist Victor Galindez in 11 at the Superdome in New Orleans. Again, Johnson turned the title over in his first defense, losing to Eddie Mustafa Muhammad in Knoxville, Tennessee, in March 1980. Almost six years passed before Johnson’s third title win, a seventh-round TKO of Leslie Stewart in Indianapolis for the WBA belt. The win put Johnson in the history books as
the light heavyweight division’s first three-time title winner. The third win may have been the sweetest for ol’ Pops, considering his long climb back to contention. Stewart, younger and quicker but not as experienced as Johnson, claimed the many cuts he suffered were from headbutts but took responsibility for the loss. As he put it, he’d allowed Johnson to apply too much pressure. “And when he smelled blood, his instincts came out,” said Stewart. “He was like an animal.” Johnson even overcame his first-defense curse, successfully defending his title with a 13th-round TKO of Jean-Marie Emebe. Then he was off to Trinidad and Tobago, where he lost the title in a rematch with Stewart. “The mental situation is taking its toll,” he’d said before the bout. The loss was Johnson’s swan song.
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