There was excitement in the arena prior to the bell sounding for a light heavyweight co-feature between Tavoris Cloud and Glen Johnson as the HBO team of Bob Papa and Max Kellerman put the finishing touches on their expert pre-show prep.
Familiar faces milled around the ringside real estate, including iconic ring announcer Michael Buffer, a first ballot lock for enshrinement into the Boxing Hall of Fame and, based on the way he treated his local hosts, the Hall of Arrogance. Although in his defense, getting paid thousands of bucks to read names off 4 by 6 cards sounds like a real grind.
When the broadcast hit the ground running, Tavoris Cloud and Glen Johnson delivered on the promises they made at the press conference on June 6 to stand and trade. Cloud would win the judges’ favor in the form of a 116-112 unanimous nod.
In the end Don King’s “Gateway to Greatness” event lived up to the hype and delivered memorable action from beginning to end.
