Boxer’s dreams shattered by injury
LEAVANDER JOHNSON Suffered subdural hematoma after bout on Saturday
PHILADELPHIA •
Leavander Johnson never appeared at the Blue Horizon, but the career of the Atlantic City lightweight bears the gritty imprimatur of a lot of fighters who year after year pay their dues in boxing’s sweatshops in the hope they one day might catch a glimpse at the glory that beckons those with the talent and tenacity to stay the course.
Johnson turned pro in 1989, and his first 11 bouts were in casino ballrooms by the boardwalk. But Johnson, unwilling to settle for modest local celebrity, concluded he needed to go on the road to pursue stardom.
He appeared to find it on June 17 in Milan, Italy, when he stopped favoured Italian Stefano Zoff in seven rounds to capture the vacant IBF 135-pound championship. At age 35, the once- starry- eyed kid from the Jersey Shore finally reached the top.
Now Johnson ( 34- 5-2, 26 KOs) is battling for his life, after suffering a subdural hematoma after a fight Saturday night.
The title he held for a mere 3 months was lifted on a savage, 11th- round technical knockout by Jesus “Famoso” Chavez (42-3, 29 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Johnson never went down during the fight, but he was taking a pummeling when referee Tony Weeks waved off the mismatch. After, he was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he underwent brain surgery. He was in critical condition Monday in the intensivecare unit after being put in a medically induced coma.
“I had been saying [during the telecast] for the last two rounds that this was the kind of fight where a boxer can get in trouble,” HBO analyst Larry Merchant told Boxingranks.com.
“[Johnson] was a guy with a lot of miles on him, he was taking a lot of punishment, and, at one point, I said it would probably be better for Johnson if Chavez knocked him out [and ended it].
“On the other hand, you got a guy with a title making the biggest payday [US$150,000] of his career. He has a reputation for being tough, and was fighting back, throwing a flurry here and there. The rules of engagement pretty much say, if the guy is hitting back, you shouldn’t stop it.”
It’s doubtful Johnson ever will box again. But here’s hoping that the husband and father of two walks out of the hospital and returns to his family as the winner of the biggest fight he ever will wage. He continued to be listed in critical condition yesterday.
If nothing else, the fact Johnson is in intensive care should affirm that, in boxing, fulfillment of a lifelong ambition isn’t tantamount to ultimate success.
“I told Leavander he couldn’t just knock the door down, he had to take it off the hinges,” Johnson’s brother and manager, Craig Johnson, had said of the upset of Zoff. “ And that’s exactly what he did. For our family, it was like the day our children were born.” Philadelphia Daily News