Ringside Report Looks Back at Former Light Heavyweight Champion Marvin Johnson

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

Olympian, three time world champion and a man active at a time in his division when it as red hot, Marvin “Pops” Johnson 43-6, 35 KOs, is far from a forgotten fighter but some of his achievements should be read in the context of the opposition he faced and the wins he gathered. Johnson was born in 1954, one of nine children with an older brother who liked boxing – so Marvin became his “sparring partner.” Once his elder brother went into the military, Johnson headed to the gym where he found Champ Chaney.

Coming from Indianapolis, Johnson fought at light heavyweight in amongst Eddie Mustafa Muhamad, Mathew Saad Muhamad, Lottie Mwale, Matty Pavlov, and the rest. It was a time in the United Kingdom when we were following the fights of Liverpool’s’ John Conteh so our eyes were very much on what was happening in America.

Johnson, a southpaw, had come through the amateur ranks with a highly impressive record. He was a 1971 Golden Gloves champion at light heavyweight but also the Golden Gloves middleweight champion in the Olympic year of 1972.

It led to him competing at the Olympics for his country at that lower weight and he returned with a bronze medal. That came after he beat the West German Ewald Jarmer in the round of 16 before taking out the Cuban Alejandro Montoya, both by unanimous decision – and both 5-0.
Unfortunately, he was to come up against the eventual gold medallist, Soviet Vyacheslav Lemeshev in the semifinal so came away with a bronze after he was stopped in the second round.

In May of 1973, he was to make his professional debut, at home in Indianapolis. Sylvester Wylder, his opponent, according to BoxRec, was knocked out in the second round as Johnson relied on a “wicked left hook, sticking to his conventional southpaw style.”

His reputation from the amateurs was to quickly cement his reputation in the professionals, because he kept winning, until he came up against Mathew Franklin, as he was then, before he changed his name to Mathew Saad Muhammad. It was quite the battle for a title as the NABF light heavyweight title was on the line. It was on the 22nd of July 1977 in Philadelphia that lit up the boxing world. This was savage and a war. Johnson was to be stopped in the twelfth round, as Johnson, post-fight was to claim that his trainer, Champ Chaney had lost track of the rounds telling him that the eleventh was the twelfth. It meant he had little in his tank for the twelfth, and it shows as Franklin beat him up bad.

In an interview published in 2022, with John J. Raspanti, he said that he, “actually got tired of hitting him. And he didn’t fall.” Franklin did fall, during the time that Johnson lay on the floor as he too tried to recover from one of the most brutal fights of both their careers. What made it that much more significant was that Johnson was ranked number 3 by the WBA at the time and was due to go on and fight for the WBA title, had he won.

He demanded a rematch but had to wait a few years before he got his chance.

But Johnson was a true fighter and rebuilt before finding himself up against another ring legend of the time in Lottie Mwale. He again found himself on the wrong end of the decision as he lost by on points in Budapest on the 17th of June 1978.

But world titles were within touching distance. A win against Jerry Celestine on the 15th of September in New Orleans had him ready to go in against Mate Pavlov, for the WBC light heavyweight belt. On the 2nd of December 1978, in Marsala, Italy, Johnson knocked him out in the 10th round.

Johnson had won his first world title.

In that interview with John J. Raspanti, he noted, “that was just the greatest thrill ever.”

Against who was he going to defend it?

Brave or foolhardy his decision may have been but in an attempt to avenge a previous loss, Matthew Franklin was his chosen opponent. And so, in April of 1979, in his hometown of Indianapolis, Johnson went in to defend his new crown. To some, this was the greatest fight in boxing history.

Now, their first fight had been epic, but this was brutal and bloody. Johnson had made headway in the beginning of the fight and by the 6th, most would have had him ahead. Then Franklin started to establish himself just as Johnson was tiring. The eighth round is probably one of the best rounds of boxing of its era – perhaps of any era. But for Johnson it ended with him being stopped, despite Franklin’s face being a bloody mess. “Muhammed wore me down,” said Johnson. “And that’s the bottom line. He wore me down because nobody has absorbed my punches like he did. And keep coming and keep coming.”

Johnson had to keep moving forward and now, his name was synonymous with world title fights – next up, the WBA version. In New Orleans on the 30th of 1November 979 Johnson engaged in a back and forth fight with Victor Galindez until he floored him in the tenth round. Now, remember that brother who went into the military – well Johnson went to see him in the run up to this cionetst and got some training with him – he felt it really helped in the contest and he was once again a happy man.
He had won his second world title.

Against who was he going to defend it?

Brave or foolhardy times two?

Eddie Gregory – later to become Eddie Mustafa Mohammad – faced him on the 31st of March 1980 in Knoxville. Once again Johnson was in the fight until late on and in the eleventh round this time, Gregory managed to stop him. It was yet another brutal fight.

In early 1981, Johnson, his star now fading, was floored in the fourth when he took on another Olympian, 1976’s version – Michael Spinks. The punch that sent him to the canvas was one that he simply did not see. But at the tender age of only 27 years old, people were putting him in a “fighters of the past” category – he was washed up and done with. People could not see him ever coming back…

But…he took time off, reflected and then came back even more determined. He was so determined that in 1984 the Ring magazine voted him their comeback fighter of the year.

Market Square Arena. Indianapolis. 9th of February 1986. Champion Leslie Stewart thought he could beat Johnson and so Johnson was invited into the ring to compete. Spinks, having let go of the WBA title, when Spinks moved to heavyweight, Johnson managed to stop Stewart due the cuts he inflicted by the seventh round.

He had won his third world title and was now the first to achieve that in the light heavyweight division.

Against who was he going to defend it?

Sensibly this time he took on Jean-Marie Emebe of Cameroon and managed to secure a thirteenth round stoppage win – he had done something new – successfully defended his title.

But.

He went to Trinidad and Tobago for the Stewart rematch. On the 23rd of May 1987, Johnson was floored several times before and after the eighth round enough was enough and Johnson stopped the fight from his stool.

He immediately retired. But you get the senses that had he still got something to give he would have found the gloves, crawled to the ring, and got back up from a stool. Upon retiring he was to comment, in that interview further and as a fitting tribute to the sport it stands well enough for Marvin “Pops” Johnson in his own words.

“I loved boxing to the point where it hated me,” said Johnson. “I mean it hurt me. I grew to love boxing more than I should have.”

It is indeed a cruel mistress, but the memories that it leaves w=you with after three world titles, is pretty sweet all the same…

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