By the fourth round, Kotelnik had taken Alexander’s best shots or blocked them consistently and was getting his right hand in more and more, sometimes even a left hook. A warning for rabbit punching didn’t deter Kotelnik from moving forward and attacking hard up and down to a retreating Alexander’s head. It would seem that Kotelnik would hit whatever he could of his speedy opponent. He landed a nice uppercut late in the round and seemed to understand how to attack Alexander without getting hit. Kotelnik slid into range, crashing in with body shots and then slip just out of it before Alexander could move from defending to attack.
Again, it wasn’t the most spectacular attack by Kotelnik but it was effective. Alexander seemed content to land his flashier, speedier shots but it was Kotelnik who landed the more effective ones.
In the sixth, Alexander seemed to be waiting for the openings as opposed to creating them while Kotelnik kept trudging forward an inch at a time- jab, right hand, left hook, body shot. Just piecemealing Alexander a little at a time.
By the seventh, Kotelnik’s corner was seeing a much different fight than HBO’s Harold Lederman as they told their man to “go to the body. He has no legs.” Lederman had the fight a near shutout by this point, giving only one round to Kotelnik.
Alexander came out for that round looking to get his jab and his right hand in but ate a right by Kotelnik instead. It seemed Alexander’s only answer was speed while Kotelnik had a more all-around approach.
Down the stretch, Kotelnik’s corner urged him, “Don’t box. Fight!” and he went in and tried to do that, closing the quarters as best as his slower feet could and digging to Alexander’s body.
Alexander was cut over his left eye by the 11th, the uppercut his trainer Kevin Cunningham asked for never appearing and Kotelnik’s pressure exhausting him. Kotelnik seemed like it was the middle of the fight rather than nearly the end as he came forward, slipped a punch or blocked it and got in a combo of his own.
Alexander had a nice stand late. In the 12th, his title on the line, Alexander pressed the action and tried to give as good as he got but Kotelnik was right there and matched him with output. It was a spirited effort for both men but in the end, this writer felt Kotelnik took a tough, hard-fought decision.
The judges, who scored the fight for Alexander, saw it otherwise.
“You know what? It was an OK performance,” said Alexander. “He is a tough fighter. He is way better than the guys at 140 who are fighting. They’re fighting guys that [they know they can beat]. He’s a tough fighter, great champion.”
“I had to stay patient,” said Alexander of his challenger and why he changed his game plan. “I have an A game, a B game, a C game. If you can’t do A game, we go to C. He came ready. He trained hard and came to win.”
“I want Bradley next,” Alexander said holding up a shirt that read, “Bradley, you’re next.” He keeps talking he is the best in the division. I want him next and whoever else is coming.”
Cloud undergoes baptism by fire against Johnson
In the co-feature, light heavyweight attack machine Tavoris Cloud, 21-0 (18), got tested to his limits by the seemingly ageless Glen Johnson over 12 rounds. It was a see-saw battle that featured changes of fortune throughout as Cloud came on strong early, peaked and was taken advantage of by Johnson only to gain control later in the fight.
Cloud came out looking for the kill right off the bat. Hard piston jabs and a right hand that had mean intentions were part of his package along with a triple left hook that moved Johnson even though it was blocked often. But Johnson, he of the great shell defense and crafty upper body movement, ducked under or outright blocked shots while moving forward and looking to land leather. He got his jab/right hand going from behind his shield and rocked the younger Cloud down the stretch and got his body attack going as well.
“Take the lead!” Cloud’s trainer Al Bonanni demanded between rounds. “You had him hurt and you didn’t know it.”
Over in Johnson’s corner, they said, “Tap the body. He’s feeling it already.”
Cloud came out jabbing again and Johnson matched him. Cloud pushed the pace and Johnson stayed with him, perhaps using more gas than he wanted. A one-two by Cloud landed flush. Johnson took it well but soon after, he ended up in the corner as the bullying, swarming Cloud swept in and attacked. Cloud seemed to get in a few shots but Johnson answered right back.
The bell sounded and I thought, “This is going to be a good one.”
Cloud flurried early in the third but only a body shot got through the high guard of Johnson. Johnson seemed to keep the fight at long range by keeping his jab out there. A right by Cloud was followed by a one-two by Johnson which, like a trip hammer, set off Cloud’s multiple left hooks. Another close round to score.
The action heated up further ring the fourth, Cloud beating his chest at Johnson and urging him to come get a big slice of war. Johnson obliged. After a nice exchange and tie up, Cloud sauntered in a circle away and came in with a right hand that landed. The fight went inside and Johnson got to the body of Cloud and landed a nice right inside. They pushed against each other looking to gain ground and space to land some heat.
The war continued.
“Come back with a hook and that right hand,” Bonanni instructed Cloud.
Cloud came out on fire in the fifth, ripping uppercuts and hooks to the body. They stepped in the phone booth, trading leather to the ribs and head. Cloud’s pace slowed a little and Johnson saw his chance at the 1:00 mark as he unloaded to Cloud’s body and pressed forward.
But Cloud kept a little something in reserve and dropped a one-two that hurt his foe. Johnson wobbled and Cloud ripped into him but the older fighter’s defensive wiles kicked in and he weathered the storm. He moved away from the swarming Cloud and tried to escape to the ropes. Cloud hurt him there again and the end seemed near as Johnson shelled up and got ready for a brewing storm.
Max Kellerman said, “Johnson has never been knocked out” and, for a second, it looked like tonight was the night but the bell mercifully rang. Johnson shook his fist to the crowd to say he was all good.
Though still in the storm to start the sixth, Johnson slowly regained his legs as he hid behind his shield and let Cloud open up to no avail. Cloud’s rain of punches pounded against Johnson’s guard but the wily vet hid there, only to slide out a body punch here and there. Truly veteran work by Johnson as he let the younger fighter come at him and dissipate his aggression against the wall of Johnson’s defense. By round’s end, Johnson was fully back and letting his jab go like a toe in hot water; first in single shots, then double and with a body shot behind it. It was truly master craftsman stuff from an aging pro.
The seventh was a resting round for the tiring Cloud and one in which Johnson began to turn the tide a bit, landing the jab and body shots to go with his right hand. Cloud’s face was showing signs of wear and tear, his right eye swelling.
The eighth was a solid round for Cloud as he hurt Johnson again with a right hand that threw him off balance. They tied up and Cloud landed another right hand. Cloud’s jab had disappeared by now and he was letting Johnson come in with no fee for the entry. They pushed against each other and Johnson seemed to win that war as he leaned forward and moved the younger man back. Johnson was gaining steam despite a late flurry by Cloud.
“Don’t let him push you,” said Bonanni. “Move to the side. You’re taking too many breaks. Don’t push; slide with him.”
Johnson stayed to the body and kept touching Cloud with not the hardest shots but consistent ones. Cloud ate a Johnson right and seemed a little lost with what to do with the metronome of an attack by Johnson.
Knowing he needed to get control again, Cloud came out shooting the jab and working in his right hand to the body of Johnson. Cloud seemed to will himself to throw more and take control that way but he didn’t fully negate Johnson’s jab or attack to the body. By round’s end, Cloud had a cut over his right eye but won the round on my card.
In the 11th round, it seemed Cloud finally understood what Bonanni told him to do. As Johnson started to clinch after eating a hard right by Cloud, the young titleholder slipped back and used uppercuts and hooks to catch Johnson coming. Then he would swivel to another angle and do it all over again. He kept Johnson coming in head down and walking into shots. Cloud was learning and growing on the job. Good stuff.
In between rounds, Johnson’s trainer told him, “We’re not going to win a decision, Glen. You know what time it is. Go out and knock him out.”
Johnson came out accordingly as he moved forward looking for his spot. They traded jabs and Cloud ripped a left hook or three to the body of Johnson followed by a right hand up top. Johnson landed a hard right to the body of Cloud. A nice left/right landed for Cloud as Johnson approached. Cloud started to open up and he landed a nice series of one-twos down the stretch as Johnson joined him in finishing strong to the final bell. A helluva fight as expected for the two warriors.
Scores were 116-112 for Cloud across the board.
“Glen Johnson, that was a helluva fight, man,” Cloud told Max Kellerman and Glen Johnson in the post-fight group interview. “You’re a helluva guy for an old dude. I don’t mean ‘old’ but you know what I mean.
"Thanks, Tavoris,” Johnson replied. “You’re a good fighter as well. I believe I won the fight because I won more rounds than Tavoris," Johnson said. "He swung a lot of punches into my defense and stuff. I guess the judges were looking to give it to him.”
“I believe you threw more punches than I did at times but I threw the more effective punches,” said Cloud. “I hurt you worse than you’ve ever been hurt. The whole world saw it, Glen.”
“He threw a punch over there that caught me off guard,” said Johnson of the stunned moment. “I was stunned a little bit. I was not hurt in any way where he could come throw more combinations. I was off-balance."
“That’s the same thing,” countered Cloud. “If you was off balance, that was your fault. I was looking for my shots to get him out. In my past fights, I just go wild. In this fight, I was trying to pick my punches. Glen Johnson is a slick fighter and was able to avoid getting knocked out."
As for his future, “Cloud said, “I would love to fight [fellow light heavy titleholder] Chad Dawson.”
With the loss, Johnson drops to 50-14-2 (34).
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