Johnson survives in boxing debut

Former NFL wide receiver Chad ‘OchoCinco’ Johnson made his boxing debut Sunday with a hard-fought bout against Brian Maxwell as part of the preliminary fights on the card featuring Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul.

The fight between Johnson and Maxwell was an exhibition bout of four rounds of two minutes each and there were also no judges present to score the fighters.

OchoCinco’ landed the better punches early in the fight and was able to get to safety with his speed, however, in the fourth round he was connected in the chin after an exchange in which he was exposed and visited the canvas.

The final seconds of the fight were dramatic with Johnson running for his life and Maxwell stalking for a knockout that never came.

In the end, both fighters raised their hands and received a standing ovation from the crowd.

“I’ve had fun. I’ve had two months of preparation for tonight and I want to thank God for keeping us safe out there [inside the ring], Johnson stated after the fight. “I want to thank Floyd, Leonard Ellerbe and my whole team for allowing me to cross this off my list. My life has been about taking risks, doing crazy things, and this is just one of them on my list. This is a message to a lot of people who are afraid to fail, to lose, to risk going out and living life. Don’t be afraid to fail, it’s okay. I don’t box, I fight. But I’m not used to being inside the ring, so of course I got a little careless.”

For his part, Maxwell noted after the fight that Johnson is one of his idols.

“Ask the world who Brian Maxwell is now,” he sentenced. “Brian Maxwell has arrived. Thank you, Chad. It was an honor to fight my idol and I appreciate it.”

Previously, Johnson had made it clear that his foray into boxing was a one-off.

“This is something I’ll do only once,” he declared. “I’ve done a lot of crazy things in life, and this one brings because it’s part of a bucket list fulfillment. I’m going to try to have fun and entertain.”