JOHNSON KNOCKS OUT JONES IN 9TH

Round by Round Commentary - by Anne Vitello

ROUND 1
Johnson kicks off the action by charging Roy Jones! Roy is all smiles, plus a good deal of deflection, and eventually some left and right counterpunches coming off the ropes. Glen Johnson has thrown a barrage of punches, and a couple of them have landed. Though it looks unwise for him to expend so much energy so early in the fight, there may be other potential benefits to this wild strategy. (Is Jones' confidence back, or can he be reminded of his last fight?) Roy's most powerful blows have landed hard on Johnson's belly. But Glen has sustained a very high level of activity, all toe-to-toe, through the entire round. Not sure what he might have left for the rest of the fight, but he got off to a big start.

ROUND 2
Again Johnson is bringing the action to Jones, and looking to keep the action in a phone booth. He has toned it down a notch, either by choice or due to fatigue. But he does plow forward, occasionally hoping to land a wide overhand right. Roy is playing it cool, and only starts initiating in the latter part of the round. Jones gets in a left to the chin, and more importantly falls into more of a steady rhythm of movement by the end of the round. He is not busy enough to claim these opening rounds, but certainly he is taking stock of the fight, not getting taken.

ROUND 3
Again Johnson moves forward. But now Roy steps in with some stiff counters right off the bat. Roy sticks a hard, short punch right in Glen's face, and moves laterally. When Johnson sets up inside-style fighting, Roy now inflicts more damage: His back on the ropes, Roy doubles up on hooks to the body. Johnson is tough; he has to be, given his strategy of choice. Now his willingness to bring a fight to Roy is costing him. By the final 30 seconds, Roy is landing punches in bunches and the crowd is jazzed. Glen Johnson keeps coming, and keeps landing too. He's got his hands full now; Roy is warmed up and landing with increasing accuracy and power.

ROUND 4
Again, the movement in the ring is Glen Johnson moving straight at Roy. This seasoned fighter, as long as his wind can hold up, has chosen a reasonable strategy of keeping pressure on Roy. It prevents Jones from orchestrating a boxing clinic, and it's a technique that has worked against Jones for other fighters (Tarver!). This is an interesting round. At the close of round 3, it looked as if the Roy of old was about to emerge. Now, at the close of the 4th, it just looks like an old Roy. The action has fluctuated back: Johnson is threatening, and when he backs Roy up, he is making real contact. Again, Roy keeps his head and when he gets his punches in, he has terrific sharpness. But if Glen can keep it up, he can pile up some rounds here.

ROUND 5
Johnson fights like a man who is hungry, a man who has been at the short end of questionable decisions, and a man who knows that Roy Jones is not untouchable. And, Roy Jones is just not having a fun night. Clearly he has greater talent. But under these conditions, fighting in close quarters and against a man who is putting on the performance of a lifetime... Well, Roy is going to have to come up with plan B, soon. A crashing right from Johnson, just lobbed in topside, makes serious contact. Roy's response is crisp and effective. But it's not enough.

ROUND 6
The fighters mutually catch their breath. Johnson then starts moving in again. Looks like Glen does his roadwork. He is settling into a sustainable pace, and still leading the action! That last round was as much of a war as Roy has ever been in. Roy is again on the ropes. It is confounding to see him in a slugfest. Again Johnson tees off. Again, Roy copes quite well, but does not necessarily come out ahead. Glen lands a one-two combo, and a couple more single shots. Roy has a serious look of consideration, planning, observing. Might be a good time to convert these ideas into action.

ROUND 7
A shift in the action. At least for a minute or two, the boxers are at arms' length, shooting jabs. Plenty of single shots, not a lot land. The men circle, jab, and loosen up. It resembles what is more typically seen in an early round until the last minute, when Johnson can't stand the suspense and again steps in a few times. Again, he is not devastating Roy. But Roy is not answering with as much as he is receiving. Quality over quantity will not with the fight, when there is not enough of Jones talent getting expressed. It's hard to tell what is going on. In the past, it would be just a matter of time before Roy dispenses with the "mere mortal" in front of him. Now, nothing is certain.

ROUND 8
More of the same. Johnson does receive punches, but he manages to partially block some as well. He is all business, and Roy is looking decidedly off his game. Maybe Antonio Tarver is in the ring tonight too. Glen Johnson never looked better, and that is a reference to Roy Jones Junior. Jones will likely need a knockout to win tonight. Johnson is putting on the performance of a lifetime, and Roy simply has not yet seemed to find a way to shut him down. Roy has been out-landed, out-muscled and is on the verge of being completely dominated.

ROUND 9
So, the question is, will Roy make a big move? Somehow this fight, which should have launched a comeback, has turned into a real headache for Roy Jones. Oh my, and there it is, another KAYO with Roy Jones on the receiving end! With is left held low, Roy gets hit with a crushing right hand. That punch hit him like a truck. He goes down, he stays down, and that's that.

POST-FIGHT COMMENTS:
With a concussed Roy Jones absent from the post-fight interviews, the reality of tonight's strange outcome sinks in. A gracious and mature prizefighter, Glen Johnson delivers a quote that could become more memorable than any of his bouts: "I'm not the best, I'm just the guy who's willing to fight the best." Well, he was the best tonight.

The loss to Tarver, though shocking and legit, did nothing to change expectations of Roy Jones Junior's career path. Tonight, however, the same outcome means something altogether different. All talk among commentators is focused on Roy's expected retirement. The reason may never be clear: Did he lose his edge, did he lose his nerve, did he lose his love of the game? Whatever the reason, he lost the fight and the magic seems to have evaporated.