It was never supposed to be easy. Hell, why would he want it to be? Moses Johnson knew what he was getting himself into when he ditched the life of running people over with a football underneath his arm to punching people in the face in the middle of a boxing ring.
Seldom are decisions such as these sagacious but Johnson was a natural. In his first fight, he gave Bryan Canady a dirt nap. Milton Martin was given the same treatment just a few months later. It was the same old song and dance for Johnson as opponent after opponent was either violently beaten down or stopped before the sound of the final bell.
Eventually, the 30-year-old took on foes that were a bit more sturdy. Still, the results were the same, they just took more time. In his first fight against an opponent with a winning record, Johnson was on cruise control as he scored a points win over Ed Fountain. A bigger step up in competition was needed at that point but even an undefeated Elvis Garcia was shown the door.
With his record perfect, Johnson could see the light at the end of his pugilistic tunnel. He wanted the big fights and had no problem facing dangerous, yet nondescript opponents.
Walter Burns was simply supposed to be another inconsequential stepping stone on his move up the heavyweight prospect ladder. Sure he was undefeated, but at 41 years of age, Burns sauntered through the arena on June 9th, as confident as ever.
In that opening round, Johnson was busy, landing whenever he wanted and smoothly getting out of the way. Out of nowhere, however, a deleterious right hand ended his night in that opening round. For some, losing ushers them into depression. Questions protrude from everywhere and the need to put down the gloves and get away is one of their first reactions. Johnson, while disappointed, didn’t feel sorry for himself. He took a few weeks to recover, threw his training gear back on, and got back to it.
The mundane and meticulous work that he’s continued to put in is something he’s proud of. But simply working on overhand rights and hard shots to the body aren’t enough. Instead, Johnson believes he needed to work on what’s between his ears more than anything.
“When you’re trying to be great at something, you’re gonna take losses,” Johnson told BoxingScene.com during a recent interview. “It’s definitely hard, it’s not easy but I had to go back to the drawing board. I had to work on my mental more than my physical.”
There won’t be any protracted stints on the sidelines. With his second fight of the year coming up in just a few short weeks on October 28th, Johnson isn’t taking anything for granted.
The focus of the New York native now shifts. From patiently learning from his mistakes to angrily clenching his fists once the name Andrew Satterfield is brought up in conversations, his next opponent.
He seems like a nice guy and comes across as innocuous considering his record. Nevertheless, Johnson has an issue with Satterfield and anyone else who signs their name on the dotted line to fight him. It isn’t anything personal but with his recent defeat still in the back of his mind, Johnson has a vendetta with everyone he’s matched up against.
“I have to put everybody in the dirt. I’ll try my best to.”