Kirk ready for Vitali!

October 15, 2003

By Scott Shaffer

Kirk Johnson is still polite, but bubbling beneath the surface is the tension that a man feels when he knows he is running out of chances. Johnson is 31 years old and after representing Canada in the 1992 Olympics, he has a professional record of 34-1-1. The numbers are fine, but injuries and a debatable disqualification in his only title fight have kept the heavyweight contender from North Preston, Nova Scotia from reaching the top of the division�s food chain.

Johnson�s frustration with his recent career path was evident as he talked about his just-announced bout against Vitali Klitschko in New York City�s Madison Square Garden on December 6. In 2002, Johnson was disqualified from a close WBA title bout for hitting John Ruiz low. Ruiz kept his title and fought Roy Jones, while Johnson knocked out Lou Savarese and then signed to face the true world champion, Lennox Lewis in June. Deep into his training camp for the fight, Johnson injured a pectoral muscle that forced him to pull out and watch helplessly as Klitschko won four of six rounds from Lewis until a hideous cut over Klitschko�s eye made a TKO winner out of Lewis. �I could be world champ right now,� said Johnson on Tuesday. �Lewis was right there for the taking. My skills would have given him trouble, and after seeing his fight with Klitschko, I think I would have taken him out in four rounds that night.�

Johnson appealed to Lewis to give him another opportunity, but Lewis has been indifferent. Johnson hoping that by beating the man who almost beat the man, he can get a shot at the man. �My injury has healed, I have the fastest hands of any heavyweight on the planet and I have the best skills out there,� he said . Turning to look directly at Klitschko during the Madison Square Garden press conference, Johnson said, �you had your chance at Lewis and you did a great job but the only way I will get my chance at Lewis is to beat you.�

He may yet get a chance at Lewis. According to Dino Duva, promoter of the December 6 event, the WBC is considering sanctioning the bout as an eliminator to decide who will be the next mandatory for Lewis. �We hope to have a decision from the WBC this week,� said Duva. Of course, there is no guarantee that the retirement-minded Lewis will actually fight the winner, but being the mandatory will only help the winner�s career. If Lewis decides to remain inactive or chooses another opponent, the Johnson-Klitschko winner will probably wind up vying for a vacant title in June against Fres Oquendo or Corrie Sanders, who apparently has vacated the WBO belt to fight for the WBC number two rating.

Johnson hopes that Lewis will make his mandatory, which is due in June. He still harbors a bit of a grudge against the champion. �As soon as he realized our fight was 100% off, he started talking garbage about knocking me out.�

If giving up about five inches in height to Klitschko bothers Johnson, he won�t admit it. �I fought Savarese and the size was no problem. Vitali hits harder and is more mobile than Savarese, but the bottom line is style makes fights. I have long arms and I am not an inside fighter. I am an outside fighter. I will use my jab, duck under his punches and connect with my own punches.�

Klitschko�s repaired brow is not going to get any extra attention from Johnson, who says he will not target the area where Klitschko suffered the gash. �That would give me a false sense of security. It�s hard enough to hit another man�s head. I�m going to move and be pretty and whatever happens happens. I�m just going to try and land my best punches

�Kirk won�t say it, but I think he is going to knock Vitali out,� said Ken Lilien, who co-manages Johnson along with Chris Seeger. �We are grateful to Vitali for giving us this opportunity but if he and [his promoter-manager] Peter Kohl think they found the weak link in the top ten, they are wrong.�

Though frustrated, Johnson remained what is becoming an extinct species in boxing: a non-trash talker. �Both Klitschkos are very nice guys. I don�t have to hate nobody to go and do my job. I�m not a James Toney or Mike Tyson type. That�s just not my style.� Klitschko should not expect Johnson to be so cordial on December 6.