Reggie "Sweet" Johnson

Record: 42-6-1, (24 KOs)
Division: Light Heavyweight
Hailing From: Houston, Texas
DOB: 8-28-66

STRENGTHS
Reggie Johnson is a seasoned southpaw who has been fighting through the ups and downs of his winding career…His southpaw stance plays to his advantage and he is a craftsman who can work from all angles…Still looking sharp for age 35… Had the ability to win a title at Middleweight and then jump up a full 15 pounds to win a belt as a Light Heavyweight.

WEAKNESSES
Johnson has shown flashes of power before, but he isn't considered a big puncher for his weight class…Johnson's reflexes have also slowed a bit and he has appeared to get tired late in some of his recent fights…He isn't as fast as he was back at Middleweight, and is a little undersized for the Light Heavyweight division.

Notable Fights
Johnson started his career at a fast pace and amassed a 28-1-1 record. The hard work granted him a title shot at James "Lights Out" Toney's IBF Middleweight belt. Johnson knocked Toney down in the second and an upset looked like it might be brewing. Toney fought well in the next rounds as the fight turned from a shoot out into a tactical chess match. Toney's success came with sneaky right hands on the inside while Johnson was enjoying success off of mostly counter punching. The fight was back and forth for all of the 12 rounds. Toney was seen as the victor, by way of unanimous decision. Johnson and his camp hotly protested the call but nothing could be done.

Johnson next fought for a title two bouts later, taking on Ireland's Steve Collins for the WBA Middleweight strap. Johnson presented Collins with too big of a puzzle and the conventional fighter was out slicked by Johnson. Collins pressed for most of the fight but Johnson wouldn't be denied a title a second time around, picking up a unanimous decision.

He defended the title 4 times before dropping a decision to fellow lefty John David Jackson in October of 1993. Johnson would next travel to Argentina to face Jorge Castro for the WBA belt that he once held. Castro was coming off an electrifying knockout over John David Jackson and Johnson presented an interesting match up. The fight was close, with Castro picking up a controversial decision. A rematch took place a year later in October of 1995 and Johnson again lost a bitterly disputed decision.

Johnson had enough of Argentina and enough of the Middleweight division as he traveled back to the states and also up 15 pounds to contend in the Light Heavyweight Division. Johnson was considered washed up at this stage of his career but he landed a title shot with then undefeated William Guthrie in June of 1998.

Guthrie was being looked at as a serious opponent to Roy Jones in the future but Reggie Johnson changed everybody's calendar schedules with just one punch. It was a right to the chin in the 5th round, a spectacular shot that had Guthrie out cold even before he hit the deck. Johnson was once again a champion, this time in a new division.

Johnson defended against Ole Klemetsen and despite an injured right shoulder he still did enough to win a unanimous decision. He next defended against Philadelphian Will Taylor in Miami. Johnson was too slick for Taylor and hammered out a fairly uneventful 12 round decision. Johnson had made it known he was looking for a shot with Roy Jones Jr. to unify the division. He wanted a Jones fight because as he put it "To be the man, you gotta beat the man, and right now Roy is the man. I would like a shot at Jones"

His wishes would be answered as Jones accepted the challenge. The fight took place in June of 1999 and on the line were Johnson's IBF belt and Jones' WBC and WBA pieces. Johnson tried to rush Jones early but he failed, as every Jones opponent has. Jones' speed was blinding and he knocked Johnson down in the first round and again in the 3rd, with the latter being a shot that had Johnson shaking his head silly. He got up and managed to go the distance, as Jones was content to out box his way to a win. The loss was a tough one on Johnson but he has continued to plug away.

At the end of 1999 he decisioned Earl Butler and returned from a layoff over a year later to face Jamaican Chris Johnson in January 2001. Reggie proved to be the better of the two Johnsons, out hustling the younger Chris and confusing him with unorthodox movement and glancing head shots. He went on to beat Will Taylor in a rematch in May, again by decision.

Down The Road
Reggie Johnson takes on a younger, seemingly stronger, fellow southpaw on January 25th on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. Johnson is more experienced but Tarver has youth on his side. We'll have to wait until January 25th to find out which prevails.