Glen 'The Road Warrior' Johnson knocked out Roy Jones Jr. in the ninth round on Saturday to retain his IBF light heavyweight title.
The unheralded Johnson nailed Jones with 48 seconds left in the ninth round with a right cross to the head, followed by a left hook to the shoulder as Jones was already falling backwards to the canvas.
"I'll fight any man," Johnson said after the fight. "I'm not the best in the world; I'm just the man who is willing to fight the best."
Johnson proved his claim by coming out the aggressor from the opening bell and pressed Jones to the ropes on every available occasion.
Jones showed glimpses of brilliance, countering with quick left hooks to the body and speedy combinations to the head. However the damage had no effect, as the Jamaican-born Johnson handled the shots easily and in turn landed his own blows to Jones' lower and upper body until that lethal blow that spelled the end for Jones.
"I looked for him with my left hook, then I waited. I got no response, so I swung," said Johnson, describing the biggest and undoubtedly the most lucrative knockout of his career.
Johnson improved to 41-9-2 (28 KOs). The 35-year-old was ahead on all three judges' scorecards at the time of stoppage (77-75, 77-75 and 78-74). Jones also 35, dropped to 49-3 (38 KOs).
"The game plan was to come in and beat him at all costs, do what I had to do to win each round," Johnson said. "I wanted to send a message early that I was here to fight, and I knew as a boxer that those punches hurt."
It was also the second straight knock-out of Jones, who lost his WBC light heavyweight crown when he was knocked out by Antonio Tarver in the second round on May 15, 2004.
Jones, who captured titles in four weight divisions to lay claim to the title of best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, came into this bout without a title for the first time in nearly 10 years after the stunning loss to Tarver.
His trainer, Alton Merkerson, acknowledged the brutal knock-out could be the end of Jones's career.
"That's something he and I are going to have to talk about," Merkerson said. "He's getting hit now more than he used to get hit."
Johnson, who was just 8-8-2 in his previous 18 fights, said his strategy was to stay close enough to Jones to give himself a chance.
"A lot of guys who fight Roy stay outside his punch and let him jump in with single shots," Johnson said. "I decided I wasn't going to let him jump in," said Johnson.
"My game plan was to come in and beat him - if it comes to a decision, make sure you did enough work each round to get the decision."
Johnson thundered out for the first round throwing an assortment of wild punches that pushed a defensive Jones around the ring.
"I just wanted to send a message that I was ready to fight, so if you're not ready to fight, you're gonna' have a long night," said Johnson, who won the opening round and set a tone.
When Jones finally responded in the third round with a series of combinations, the champion kept coming. In the fifth, he used a right hand to hurt Jones, who rallied as the crowd chanted, "Roy! Roy! Roy!"
The pro-Jones crowd at Memphis's new FedEx Forum fell silent as Jones went down with the back of his head smacking to the canvas.
He remained still on the canvas for some moments before his eyes opened and, while still not moving, he was able to talk to his handlers.
Trainers filled a towel with ice and slid it under Jones' head as he lay on the canvas, but he still had difficulty opening his eyes.
Jones finally walked out of the ring with help from his trainers. Merkerson said he had been "diagnosed with a concussion."
Jones would later get into an ambulance headed for the Regional Medical Center in Memphis where he under went a precautionary check-up.
At the post fight press conference, Johnson who basked in the glory of his historic victory was joined by the other light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver.
"It's the end of an era," said Antonio Tarver, who knocked out Jones on May 15 to win the WBA super light heavyweight title and the WBC and IBO light heavyweight titles.
"Time finally got to him. I busted him up, and on May 15 I knocked him out with one cold shot. This is a tough business. It's a lot to ask of a fighter to come back and be his old self after taking that type of punishment."
Tarver said he was ready to fight Johnson for the IBF light heavyweight title.
"You have to start talking baby and hype this fight up," said Tarver.
Johnson agreed.
"Nobody knows who I am because I fight overseas a lot and nobody sees it," he said.
Johnson, who was just 8-8-2 in his previous 18 fights, said his strategy was to stay close enough to Jones to give himself a chance.