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By Cliff Rold - By all rights, the late switch should be seen as an upgrade.
What was to be a typical on the cusp young contender versus faded veteran (in this case, Monte Barrett, loser of four of his last seven) bout has now been replaced by something rare.
Friday night on ESPN2, fans will be treated to a showdown between undefeated young Heavyweights, one of them a former Olympian. So why might some feel this is less than a treat?
It’s in the numbers.
In one corner will be 29-year old Kevin Johnson of Atlanta, Georgia. He’s rated number five by the WBA. Paid for his appearances since 2003, Johnson is undefeated in twenty-two bouts, his only blemish a draw in his fourth pro bout against a more experienced Timor Ibragimov.
In the opposing corner, undefeated and unblemished in seventeen outings since 2004, will be 27-year old Devin Vargas of Toledo, Ohio. Vargas has impressive amateur bona fides beneath his record, including U.S. National Golden Gloves championships in 2000 and 2001 and a team captain’s slot on the 2004 U.S. Olympic team where he bowed out in a competitive second round. [details]
What was to be a typical on the cusp young contender versus faded veteran (in this case, Monte Barrett, loser of four of his last seven) bout has now been replaced by something rare.
Friday night on ESPN2, fans will be treated to a showdown between undefeated young Heavyweights, one of them a former Olympian. So why might some feel this is less than a treat?
It’s in the numbers.
In one corner will be 29-year old Kevin Johnson of Atlanta, Georgia. He’s rated number five by the WBA. Paid for his appearances since 2003, Johnson is undefeated in twenty-two bouts, his only blemish a draw in his fourth pro bout against a more experienced Timor Ibragimov.
In the opposing corner, undefeated and unblemished in seventeen outings since 2004, will be 27-year old Devin Vargas of Toledo, Ohio. Vargas has impressive amateur bona fides beneath his record, including U.S. National Golden Gloves championships in 2000 and 2001 and a team captain’s slot on the 2004 U.S. Olympic team where he bowed out in a competitive second round. [details]
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