Glen Johnson on track to meet the 168lb limit

Former light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson seems to have put to rest the widespread notion that he might have a problem making weight for his super middleweight fight with Allan Green on Saturday.

Johnson has been fighting at 175 pounds since his last fight in the 168-pound division in 2000. So when he accepted an invitation to replace Mikkel Kessler in late September in Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic, his weight was a concern.

But Johnson (50-14-2, 34 KOs) is virtually on weight already. According to co-promoter Lou DiBella, Johnson weighed 171 pounds on Wednesday and then was 169 on Friday after a training session in Miami.

Johnson faces Green (29-2, 20 KOs) in Group Stage 3 of the tournament at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on the undercard of the Juan Manuel Lopez-Rafael Marquez featherweight title bout. Only the winner of Johnson-Green will advance to the semifinals.

Johnson replaced Kessler, who withdrew in late August because of an eye injury. Green, who had replaced Jermain Taylor earlier in the tournament, lost his only bout of the round robin, a lopsided decision to titleholder Andre Ward.

"We got a nutritionist who is telling us how to eat, and what we should be eating, and everything has been easy," said the 41-year-old Johnson, who is coming off a highly competitive points loss to light heavyweight titlist Tavoris Cloud in August. "I feel great about the fight. I am looking forward to it. This is a great opportunity for me."

The last time Johnson fought as a super middleweight was Sept. 23, 2000, when he knocked out Toks Owoh in the sixth round. He weighed 166.25 pounds for that fight in London.

"For anyone concerned that Glen Johnson would have a weight problem, he weighed 171 over a week before the fight," DiBella said. "Most super middleweights would weigh more. Glen is a true professional, and he dropped the weight like a true professional. Two super middleweights will get in the ring on Nov. 6 in a high stakes battle."

There are serious penalties in Johnson's contract if he fails to make weight -- $30,000 per pound that he is overweight.

Ward has already earned enough points to advance to the semifinals. Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham, who meet for a vacant belt on Nov. 27 in Helsinki, Finland, have also already both advanced but will be vying not only for the belt, but the higher seed in the semifinals, which are due to take place in the first half of 2011.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5748987

not sure if this is a good sign or not...

http://twitter.com/stevemaxboxing/status/29492598603
Glen Johnson told me yesterday he had been at 168 for 2 weeks. If true- why so soon?

Johnson seems to be right on target for making weight. This could spell doom for the man that looks at his feet.

He looked fat and soft against Cloud at 175 in my opinion. This might be a good idea for him. I don't think he had any issue making 175 in the past or had to cut that much weight to do so. I just think for the last ten years with Tarver, Woods, Dawson, Jones, Hopkins since '06 the money was at 175 not at 168.

It's so weird how boxers struggle to cut just a few tiny pounds and people talk about how a guy is just right for one weight class but undersized for a class six pounds heavier.

Well of course Johnson is gonna make weight, 30,000 per pound, one will have to be crazy to come overweight. Will he come strong like he does at 175? that remains to be seen. Just remember DLH back in 08

Wolfgangsta wrote:

It's so weird how boxers struggle to cut just a few tiny pounds and people talk about how a guy is just right for one weight class but undersized for a class six pounds heavier.

Well unlike MMA, boxers dont need a ton of muscle. Marquez did that with Floyd and suffered an embarrassing loss. He was too slow with all the Muscle and look really undersized against Floyd who is not a very big Weltertweight to begin with. I see your point wolf and its very much true. A guy like Angulo wouldnt do well with a guy like Kelly Pavlik at Middleweight. Angulo is a bully at 154, but he wouldnt be able to bully a bigger guy like Pavlik (making it a mismatch).

Diego408 wrote:

Well of course Johnson is gonna make weight, 30,000 per pound, one will have to be crazy to come overweight. Will he come strong like he does at 175? that remains to be seen. Just remember DLH back in 08

Can't compare Glenn who is a full time fighter to Oscar who was a part time fighter. Glenn is in shape all the time.

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

Diego408 wrote:

Well of course Johnson is gonna make weight, 30,000 per pound, one will have to be crazy to come overweight. Will he come strong like he does at 175? that remains to be seen. Just remember DLH back in 08

Can't compare Glenn who is a full time fighter to Oscar who was a part time fighter. Glenn is in shape all the time.

Oscar may of been a part time fighter, but he is more skillful than a guy like Johnson. Remember, DLH gave Flomo a fight. Had Oscar been in fighting weight, he would of put up a fight instead of standing there like a punching bag. I just hope Glen isnt sucked up like a 130 pound Morales, because Johnson has a shot at knocking Green out and making it to the next round if he comes in like he always does for a fight.

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

He looked fat and soft against Cloud at 175 in my opinion. This might be a good idea for him. I don't think he had any issue making 175 in the past or had to cut that much weight to do so. I just think for the last ten years with Tarver, Woods, Dawson, Jones, Hopkins since '06 the money was at 175 not at 168.

I agree with this, the money was always bigger at 175, he was the FOTY when he KO'd Roy and beat Tarver.
168 hasnt been this good ever I think lol

He looked pretty bad against Cloud in August.

Sure looked in prime shape in that Fight Camp 360 and I know he's been sparring with Lucian Bute this past year

Diego408 wrote:

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

Diego408 wrote:

Well of course Johnson is gonna make weight, 30,000 per pound, one will have to be crazy to come overweight. Will he come strong like he does at 175? that remains to be seen. Just remember DLH back in 08

Can't compare Glenn who is a full time fighter to Oscar who was a part time fighter. Glenn is in shape all the time.

Oscar may of been a part time fighter, but he is more skillful than a guy like Johnson. Remember, DLH gave Flomo a fight. Had Oscar been in fighting weight, he would of put up a fight instead of standing there like a punching bag. I just hope Glen isnt sucked up like a 130 pound Morales, because Johnson has a shot at knocking Green out and making it to the next round if he comes in like he always does for a fight.

Skillful sure, but he had no gas (Oscar). Green is also not Pacquiao or Floyd. Glenn should look better than Oscar did regardless of the weight.

his punches look more sloppy with every fight that goes by. i'm picking Green to win, surely Green can't put in another dismal display like he did against Ward. the only thing that is making me think twice is that i think Johnson's awkwardness and constant pressure will be a massive test of Green's will. it's a tough fight for Green after such a humbling defeat to Ward

dbudge87 wrote:

his punches look more sloppy with every fight that goes by. i'm picking Green to win, surely Green can't put in another dismal display like he did against Ward. the only thing that is making me think twice is that i think Johnson's awkwardness and constant pressure will be a massive test of Green's will. it's a tough fight for Green after such a humbling defeat to Ward

You havent seen much of Green then, he doesnt punch much, he's KO'd a ton of cans and even when he's faced a decent opponents he looks the same

Best career win, a KO over a 9-0 prospect in Jaidon Codrington

His two fights against legit foes, lost to Miranda in 10 getting dropped twice, and thoroughly dominated by Ward

IMO, his best hope is that Johnson turns into raisin from cutting weight

Even then I still think he outworks Green lol