When I first heard of the passing of Leavander Johnson it hit me hard. It was a reality check because I had known Leavander personally for years and it makes the situation that much more surreal.

          I had known Leavander over the years but got to know him real well when I trained with him leading up to his title challenge against Orzubek Nazarov in 1997. The training camp first took place in Las Vegas and was later moved to Miami after the fight was postponed. When Leavander and I talked it was mostly about boxing and music. He never had any thing bad to say about other fighters and we simply talked about some of the top fighters at that time. Any conversation I had with him was always pleasant.

          It’s odd because I remember Leavander’s older brother always saying ‘My brother’s going to be world champion’, and after all of his years of working and sacrificing to get his belt, he would lose it a matter of months later. He had fulfilled his dream but it seemed like the moment only lasted for a second. That’s how life is sometimes, it’s as if anything you have can be taken from you at any moment.

          It’s funny because a lot of my sparring sessions with Leavander stick out. I have sparred with plenty of big name fighters, Pernell Whitaker, Julio Cesar Chavez, Meldrick Taylor, Erik Morales and others, and I always held my own but sometimes against Leavander he would get the best of me like none of those guys could. After each round I would have to ask myself if I really wanted to be in the ring with this guy.  I would have my days where I got the better of him, but when he was getting the best of me he really, really took it to me.

          In the ring Leavander is known best for his warrior style, but in sparring he showed me sides to him that I never thought he had. He really knew how to box and I was surprised at how well he could move around the ring. He kept his distance, came in behind a great jab, and moved in and out. For whatever reason it was, later in his career he seemed to box less and less while going with an aggressive, all action style. Maybe that was just his temperament as a fighter.

          I was at his fight against Chavez last Saturday, and from ringside I could see him boxing early on and said to myself ‘Leavander is going to do good tonight’, but sure enough with each passing round he began to brawl more and more. That would eventually lead to his loss, and it was almost as if he was inviting Chavez in to trade punches.

          Leavander Johnson was a warrior in the ring because of his style. He had boxing skills but his fighting spirit took over and because of this we saw him go out on his shield. He was a good guy and I know he’ll be missed by many and remembered for his actions both in and out of the ring.

9-22-2005

 

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