Tweet
This is for all yall *****s who be hatin on one of the best featherweights of our time and one of the best ever. I haven't seen in his last fight but I know he cute and I'm sure this marks the end of a remarkable career. No doubt John will fight on, maybe win a rematch? But the aura he once held around knowledgeable boxing fans has gone. He was the mysterious fighter from the East who we only caught glimpses of. Now he is a bum who was never worth anything anyway.
Ima drop some truths on you uneducated boxing stans, so best if yall listen.
A quick run down of his title reign:
Won the interim WBA title Oscar Leon in 2003. Now Leon weren't no push over, he had himself given Gainer, the "Real" WBA champ a close fight, only losing via split decision. The interim title was put in place because Gainer was injured, he would then go onto fight JMM and lose, JMM was upgraded to "super" champ and John became the "regular" titlist for the WBA.
He then defended his title 4 times before fighting JMM. Those fights included a win over former champ Gainer, a formidable opponent, no longer at his best but he made John fight back from a solid KD in round 1. His other notable win was against Osamu Sato, in Sato's backyard of Tokyo, Japan. Sato was also a former WBA super bantam titlist and a terrific fighter in his own right. So much for the myth that John fought at home against bums. The Gainer fight was also away from home in Australia.
Then came the big one, the fight that should have solidified John as one of the best if not the best in the division. A fight for the full WBA world title against JMM, a man who had drawn against Pacquiao, a P4P star and one of the best fighters of our generation. Still to this day I'm not sure where the myth of JMM being robbed has arisen from, it's similar to the schooling JMM received at the hands of Bradley earlier this year, which has screamed robbery.
John asserted himself as the boxer whereas JMM looked limited, slow and tried to throw too many power shots. He was handily picked off, resorted to cheating and deducted 2 points for low blows. The only American journalist in attendance was someone from Ring Magazine who scored it 116-110. If you don't believe it just watch the fight, watch JMM struggle, yes some rounds were close and a great fighter like JMM didn't make it easy but he was outboxed and out worked. John won that.
Watch the fight here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD5Yen55hQI
John was 27, had just won the biggest fight of his career but was for no known reason shrouded in controversy and ridiculed rather than praised, mostly by the American media and fan, 99% of which hadn't even bothered watching or covering the fight. No wonder he was in no hurry about crossing the Pacific.
He would defend his title 5 more times, beating Rojas in a rematch, taking on tough Jap Takemoto and talented pugilists in Acosta and Cabellero. 2 of those 5 fights ended in stoppages, showing John not only had boxing skills but enough hurting power. He was fast becoming the complete boxer. The most impressive of these wins was his all out war against Enoki, a tough, hard hitting Jap who possessed power in both hands and had never tasted defeat. It was a brutal fight, both men were hurt and John had to undergo post fight surgery. I personally believe John was never the same again, his prime reduced in brutal fashion.
Oh, did I mention the fight was once again in Japan against a Japanese fighter? Yeah, so much for all that fighting at home against bums.
The fight besides JMM which most American "fans" normally remember is the one against Juarez. John came to the challengers backyard of Texas to face a man who had only lost to Soto and MAB, giving MAB one of his toughest fights ever in the process. When I watched the fight I had only one clear winner, Chris John, WBA champion of the world. He out boxed Juarez for large parts of the bout and managed to hurt him too. Juarez as always put up a great fight and showed he could fight but it was clear John was superior. The draw is as home town as a decision can be. I think the fight disgusted John and unbiased, true fans of the sport. No wonder John refused to ever travel to the US ever again...well apart from once more:
The rematch followed and finally justice was done in Vegas, with John not only out boxing but out classing Juarez every step of the way. It was a tough fight but one John won easily, solidifying his place as the best 126lb fighter on the planet against a man who was ranked number 4 by the Ring and several other boxing rankings.
A fight against stout, tough local challenger Daud Yordan would follow, one of the better fighters in the lower divisions and his list of defences post Juarez are not as great as the ones pre but John was by now a fading force, slower, less energetic, his head movement and hand speed had started to desert him and he was looking shopworn. The combined record of his opponents post Yordan is an exceptional 148-15-2, including undefeated, stand out challenger Piriyapinyo (hope I spelled that fight), who has tremendous power in both hands and is one of the leading featherweight contenders in the Asia/Pacific region.
So, this is a guy with a long title reign, wins over former, current and past champions, a number one ranking in his division who has traveled to his challengers back yard on multiple occasions to face tough challengers.
Yes there will always be questions and we will always long for a possible JMM rematch, a possible fight against MAB, Morales or Pacquiao but the fact is, the finances just weren't right and John had a terrific career without any of those names. In terms of skill, offensive and defensive capabilities, power and resilience, he is one of the best featherweights I've ever seen. His reluctance to fight in the US should not be held against him. The same fans who do that, hold fighters like Roy Jones in high esteem, even though he refused to go over to Europe to face the leading crop of super middleweights in Eubank, Benn, Collins and co.
John was a great fighter who faded slowly, with bits of his past brilliance shining for fleeting moments in fights against tough challengers such as Kimura, Murdov and Yordan. His peak came a decade earlier, with terrific wins over terrific fighters. There is nothing more he can do.
The HOF beckons...if there's any justice in the world.
Ima drop some truths on you uneducated boxing stans, so best if yall listen.
A quick run down of his title reign:
Won the interim WBA title Oscar Leon in 2003. Now Leon weren't no push over, he had himself given Gainer, the "Real" WBA champ a close fight, only losing via split decision. The interim title was put in place because Gainer was injured, he would then go onto fight JMM and lose, JMM was upgraded to "super" champ and John became the "regular" titlist for the WBA.
He then defended his title 4 times before fighting JMM. Those fights included a win over former champ Gainer, a formidable opponent, no longer at his best but he made John fight back from a solid KD in round 1. His other notable win was against Osamu Sato, in Sato's backyard of Tokyo, Japan. Sato was also a former WBA super bantam titlist and a terrific fighter in his own right. So much for the myth that John fought at home against bums. The Gainer fight was also away from home in Australia.
Then came the big one, the fight that should have solidified John as one of the best if not the best in the division. A fight for the full WBA world title against JMM, a man who had drawn against Pacquiao, a P4P star and one of the best fighters of our generation. Still to this day I'm not sure where the myth of JMM being robbed has arisen from, it's similar to the schooling JMM received at the hands of Bradley earlier this year, which has screamed robbery.
John asserted himself as the boxer whereas JMM looked limited, slow and tried to throw too many power shots. He was handily picked off, resorted to cheating and deducted 2 points for low blows. The only American journalist in attendance was someone from Ring Magazine who scored it 116-110. If you don't believe it just watch the fight, watch JMM struggle, yes some rounds were close and a great fighter like JMM didn't make it easy but he was outboxed and out worked. John won that.
Watch the fight here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD5Yen55hQI
John was 27, had just won the biggest fight of his career but was for no known reason shrouded in controversy and ridiculed rather than praised, mostly by the American media and fan, 99% of which hadn't even bothered watching or covering the fight. No wonder he was in no hurry about crossing the Pacific.
He would defend his title 5 more times, beating Rojas in a rematch, taking on tough Jap Takemoto and talented pugilists in Acosta and Cabellero. 2 of those 5 fights ended in stoppages, showing John not only had boxing skills but enough hurting power. He was fast becoming the complete boxer. The most impressive of these wins was his all out war against Enoki, a tough, hard hitting Jap who possessed power in both hands and had never tasted defeat. It was a brutal fight, both men were hurt and John had to undergo post fight surgery. I personally believe John was never the same again, his prime reduced in brutal fashion.
Oh, did I mention the fight was once again in Japan against a Japanese fighter? Yeah, so much for all that fighting at home against bums.
The fight besides JMM which most American "fans" normally remember is the one against Juarez. John came to the challengers backyard of Texas to face a man who had only lost to Soto and MAB, giving MAB one of his toughest fights ever in the process. When I watched the fight I had only one clear winner, Chris John, WBA champion of the world. He out boxed Juarez for large parts of the bout and managed to hurt him too. Juarez as always put up a great fight and showed he could fight but it was clear John was superior. The draw is as home town as a decision can be. I think the fight disgusted John and unbiased, true fans of the sport. No wonder John refused to ever travel to the US ever again...well apart from once more:
The rematch followed and finally justice was done in Vegas, with John not only out boxing but out classing Juarez every step of the way. It was a tough fight but one John won easily, solidifying his place as the best 126lb fighter on the planet against a man who was ranked number 4 by the Ring and several other boxing rankings.
A fight against stout, tough local challenger Daud Yordan would follow, one of the better fighters in the lower divisions and his list of defences post Juarez are not as great as the ones pre but John was by now a fading force, slower, less energetic, his head movement and hand speed had started to desert him and he was looking shopworn. The combined record of his opponents post Yordan is an exceptional 148-15-2, including undefeated, stand out challenger Piriyapinyo (hope I spelled that fight), who has tremendous power in both hands and is one of the leading featherweight contenders in the Asia/Pacific region.
So, this is a guy with a long title reign, wins over former, current and past champions, a number one ranking in his division who has traveled to his challengers back yard on multiple occasions to face tough challengers.
Yes there will always be questions and we will always long for a possible JMM rematch, a possible fight against MAB, Morales or Pacquiao but the fact is, the finances just weren't right and John had a terrific career without any of those names. In terms of skill, offensive and defensive capabilities, power and resilience, he is one of the best featherweights I've ever seen. His reluctance to fight in the US should not be held against him. The same fans who do that, hold fighters like Roy Jones in high esteem, even though he refused to go over to Europe to face the leading crop of super middleweights in Eubank, Benn, Collins and co.
John was a great fighter who faded slowly, with bits of his past brilliance shining for fleeting moments in fights against tough challengers such as Kimura, Murdov and Yordan. His peak came a decade earlier, with terrific wins over terrific fighters. There is nothing more he can do.
The HOF beckons...if there's any justice in the world.
Comment