Despite his unrelenting and intense nature inside of a boxing ring, Glen Johnson is one of the calmest and laid back individuals you will come across when he is outside of the ropes. There seems to be almost nothing that fazes or ruffles the former Light Heavyweight champion and it was of no surprise today that Johnson remained almost expressionless as his opponent this coming Friday, Daniel Judah, set the Paradise Live theatre on fire with a salvo of verbal threats on Wednesday afternoon.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Judah said as he approached the podium. “This has been a long road for me and a long time coming. All I know is one thing…I must win this fight Friday night.”
While attempting to keep the respect in tact between himself and Johnson, who fought Judah to a controversial draw in 2003, Judah began to open up as his time wore on. “I don’t want to say anything bad about Glen Johnson,” the Brooklyn native continued. “Glen is a good fighter but when he steps into the ring with me he’s going to be entering the lion’s den. I know how Glen fights and believe me I am going to be right there for me. I’ve had a great camp and I feel tremendous. When you train hard and you are at the top of your game there isn’t anybody who can touch you.”
As mentioned earlier, Johnson’s reaction to Judah ’s bold proclamations was that o f a man who was far from shook. Johnson didn’t even have it in himself to give the obligatory bullshit grin that surfaces from many fighters after hearing their opponents go on a verbal tirade.
“This is going to be an exciting night,” Johnson said almost blandly as his time came to speak. “I expect this to be a great night for everyone in attendance. Daniel Judah says he is ready and those are just the kind of guys I like to fight.”
A loud applause from the crowd followed Johnson’s statement as it became increasingly evident that Johnson wasn’t on stage to outshine Judah , but instead to let him know of his willingness towards combat.
“You have two fighters who are ready and coming to fight,” Johnson added. “I believe that is the best kind of fight because then the only people who don’t lose are the fans. W hen Daniel Judah and I are in the ring together you can expect some sweet fireworks.”
While both men’s confidence is high, their respective angles for this upcoming fight are contrastingly different. Judah has attempted to warn Johnson ahead of time of the trouble that awaits him, claiming that the ‘Lion’s Den’ the two are about to enter is a place Johnson will find no comfort in. Unfortunately for Judah , the Lion’s Den is where Glen Johnson has made his living as a professional and his mark as a fighter. Stepping into it again is of no concern to the rugged Jamaican, and if anything it is something he welcomes with open arms.
The Glen Johnson-Daniel Judah bout takes place this Friday, February 27th at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida. ESPN2 will televise the proceedings, starting at 9 PM/ET.
For ticket information please visit www.WarriorsBoxing.com
