By Ian S. Palmer
Unbeaten British heavyweight prospect Tyson Fury will be taking on 33-year-old Kevin Johnson of America at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Saturday Dec. 1. Johnson, who has a record of 28-2-1 with 13 Kos should be a tough test for Fury, who will enter the ring with a record of 19-0 with 14 Kos. The 24-year-old Fury may have an excellent record, but his opponents haven’t exactly been the class of the heavyweight division. His toughest competition so far was provided by Derrick Chisora.
Johnson poses a real threat as a boxer, but he doesn’t really possess much in the way of knockout power, even though he does have a solid left hand on his resume. Johnson isn’t what you could really call an elite boxer either, but he’s certainly a step up in class when compared to Fury’s previous opponents. Fury has built up his record by taking on journeymen since turning pro in 2008 and those who are past their prime. And even so, he hasn’t really looked that impressive in doing so as of yet.
The 6-foot-3 Johnson has been in with some top opponents in the division since turning professional in 2003 including a 2009 bout against WBC champion Vitali Klitschko. Johnson managed to take the big Ukrainian all 12 rounds, but came out on the wrong end of a 12-round unanimous decision. He’ll have a distinct height disadvantage against Fury though, as the Brit stands 6-foot-9.
Fury knows that he has to beat a legitimate opponent for the public to take him seriously and he’s at least found that opponent in Johnson. Fury is looking for a big payday against one of the Klitschkos and that will fly out of the window if he can’t get by Johnson. He’ll have the fans on his side in Belfast, but that might not really mean that much. Ricky Hatton had 20,000 people behind him in Manchester last weekend, but was still dropped and finished in the ninth round.
Johnson, of Asbury Park, New Jersey, also has to win if he has any hope of getting one more title shot before he retires. Johnson has good boxing skills and a pretty durable chin. He’s never been stopped and his only losses have been at the hands of Klitschko and Tor Hamer in June of this year. The loss against Hamer came in the British Prizefighter tournament and was a three-round unanimous decision. The only other mark on his record is a four-round draw with Timur Ibragimov in 2004. Johnson’s most impressive wins have been over Damian Wills, Bruce Seldon, and Albert Sosnowski.
Johnson said he’s been after a fight with Fury for quite some time now and is looking forward to it. He said he respects Fury and expects him to be a tough opponent, but believes he has the boxing ability and power to beat him. He predicts that Fury will have trouble handling his speed and power and that his opponent will be in trouble early on in the bout.
Prediction
If Johnson’s on his game he’ll be tough to beat and should be able to outbox Fury. However, you may as well flip a coin on this one. Let’s say Johnson comes in at his best and takes Fury by a decision or late stoppage.
