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Miami Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida – In special cruiserweight exhibition, former NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson got his first taste of boxing – as he traded punches with Brian Maxwell over four, two-minute rounds.
Per the exhibition rules, no official winner was announced.
Johnson, 43-years-old, came out with a jab. The 33-year-old Maxwell, who has experience in boxing, MMA and bare knuckle fighting, started throwing some big shots – with Johnson throwing a few of his own. They were trading punches at the end of the round.
The second started with Johnson’s stiff jab. Johnson landed few solid hits as Maxwell tried to rush him. During the third, they were trading wild heavy punches – with most missing. Johnson landed a check hook as Maxwell rushed in.
Maxwell caught Johnson with a few punches at the start of the fourth. Johnson was dropped hard when Maxwell caught him with a big hook to the chin. Johnson seemed to be hurt, but Maxwell was not really pushing the issue to stop him as the contest was coming to a close.
“I had fun. I had two months to get ready for this and I want to thank God for keeping us safe out there. I want to thank Floyd [Mayweather], Leonard Ellerbe and my whole team for allowing me to check this off my bucket list,” Johnson said.
“My life has always been about taking chances and doing crazy stuff and this is just one off my bucket list. It’s a message for a lot of people who are scared to fail, scared to lose, scared to take chances to go out there and live. Don’t be scared to fail, it’s okay. I don’t box. I fight but it ain’t in the ring so of course I was a little sloppy.”