Matthew Saad Muhammad vs Marvin Johnson

Matthew Franklin, later known as Matthew Saad Muhammad, won the vacant North American Boxing Federation light-heavyweight championship at the Spectrum in Philadelphia on July 26, 1977, by stopping Marvin Johnson after one minute and 12 seconds of the 12th and final round. The contest brought together two young contenders whose reputations had been founded on quite different qualities. Franklin, the local fighter, had experienced defeats, draws and difficult assignments against such men as Mate Parlov, Marvin Camel and Eddie Gregory. Johnson, a former Olympic bronze medallist from Indianapolis, entered unbeaten in 15 professional contests and was regarded as the more polished and accomplished prospect. Both men weighed the light-heavyweight limit of 175 pounds. A crowd of 6,459 attended the promotion staged by Russell Peltz, and each fighter received a purse of $2,500.

Johnson, a strong southpaw, took the initiative from the opening bell. Franklin attempted at first to box, moving around Johnson and trying to find room for his right hand, but the challenger from Indianapolis pressed forward behind a steady stream of punches. The first round was comparatively restrained, each man testing the other and working for position. In the second, however, the character of the fight changed completely. Johnson drove in left uppercuts and straight lefts, while Franklin abandoned much of his movement and stood his ground, answering with chopping right hands which repeatedly snapped Johnson’s head backwards. Johnson struck Franklin on the nose and drew blood during the round. The bleeding continued for the remainder of the contest and became one of the night’s most visible features.

Thereafter the contest developed into a succession of close-range exchanges. Franklin understood that allowing a southpaw such as Johnson to work freely at long range would leave him exposed to the straight left, and he therefore remained close, where he could bring his right hand into play. Johnson nevertheless found openings through and around Franklin’s high guard. His left uppercut was particularly effective, and he mixed it with hooks and short blows to the body. Franklin absorbed the punches without being forced from his position and continued to counter. The momentum changed repeatedly, sometimes within a single exchange, as one man appeared to gain command only to be driven back by the other’s reply.

Late in the fourth round Franklin produced the first pronounced crisis of the fight. He caught Johnson with a series of hard punches and drove him backwards, knocking the mouthpiece from his mouth. Johnson was badly shaken and appeared close to being overwhelmed when the bell ended the round. The interval allowed him to recover, and he resumed his attack in the fifth rather than attempting merely to survive. Johnson continued to throw the greater number of punches, but Franklin’s counters carried sufficient force to prevent him from establishing lasting control. The work was severe on both men. Franklin’s nose was still bleeding, and by the sixth round swelling had begun to form beneath his left eye. His face presented the worst appearance, although Johnson was also beginning to show the effects of the exchanges.

Through the middle rounds Johnson kept advancing and repeatedly struck Franklin with clean, heavy punches. Franklin held his gloves high but could not prevent many of the blows from penetrating his defence. His chief advantages were his strength, condition and willingness to answer immediately. Whenever Johnson appeared to have hurt him, Franklin came back with rights to the head and hooks from close quarters. Johnson had expected his accumulation of punches to weaken the Philadelphian, but the expected collapse did not come. Instead, Johnson was obliged to maintain a pace which gradually began to consume his own strength. Franklin’s resistance became a tactical weapon in itself. Johnson continued to hit him, but each unsuccessful attempt to force a decisive breakthrough left the unbeaten man a little more tired.

By the closing rounds both fighters had absorbed an exceptional amount of punishment. Johnson’s attack remained dangerous, but his movements became less certain, and his punches lost some of their earlier sharpness. Franklin, though bleeding heavily and marked around the eyes, retained the stronger legs. He began to drive Johnson towards the ropes more frequently, throwing in combinations instead of relying upon isolated counters. Johnson still fought back and remained capable of stopping Franklin’s advances, but he was now required to summon an effort for every exchange. The 11th round proved decisive in everything except the official result. Johnson threw himself into another prolonged attack, clubbing Franklin with his best punches, but could neither floor him nor discourage him. Franklin accepted the blows and returned his own. By the end of the round Johnson had worked himself close to exhaustion and was in serious difficulty as Franklin sought to finish him.

Franklin came out rapidly for the final round. Johnson, tired and swollen, was unable to regain the initiative. Franklin drove him to the ropes and struck with both hands, landing hard rights and hooks as Johnson tried unsuccessfully to answer. The pressure continued until Johnson’s legs gave way. He slumped near the ropes and fell to the canvas, exhausted after the sustained attack. Referee Ozzie Sadler completed the count, ending the contest at 1:12 of the 12th round. The Spectrum crowd erupted as Franklin, blood covering much of his face, was declared the new NABF champion. Johnson remained on the floor amid the commotion before being assisted.

The official scoring confirmed how uncertain the outcome had remained before the knockout. Sadler had Johnson ahead by 53 points to 49, judge Harold Lederman favoured Franklin by 51 to 48, and judge Paul Harris had the contest level at 51 points each. Franklin therefore could not have relied upon a decision, and Johnson had by no means surrendered a commanding advantage. The finish settled a fight which had remained in dispute almost to its last minute. Johnson afterwards acknowledged that he had landed a great number of hard punches but had been unable to break Franklin’s resistance. Franklin’s face was more severely damaged, yet his stamina had enabled him to survive the heavier early work and take control as Johnson weakened. Promoter Russell Peltz later described it as the greatest fight he had seen, while the contest became regarded as one of the most notable staged during the Spectrum’s important period as a Philadelphia boxing venue. Both men subsequently won world championships, and their first meeting established the qualities for which they would become known: Johnson’s aggressive southpaw punching and Franklin’s extraordinary capacity to endure punishment before producing a decisive recovery.