Klitschko halts Johnson in second
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Klitschko exerted his power on the counter attack against Johnson
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NEW YORK, (U.S.) -- Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko underlined his status as the number one challenger to world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis with a ruthless two-round demolition of Canadian Kirk Johnson in New York.
Klitschko, who is hoping for a rematch with Lewis, halted Johnson after two minutes, 54 seconds of the second round.
Lewis was believed to be following the fight on television after attending a wedding in Jamaica.
"Hello Lennox, I know you're watching," said Klitschko (33-2, 32 KOs) after his victory.
"You have been a great champion but I'm ready to beat you."
His victory over Johnson ensured he remained the number one mandatory challenger to Lewis, and the Briton now must either set a date with Klitschko for a rematch or relinquish his WBC crown.
Lewis, who scored a controversial technical knockout over Klitschko in June, is considering retirement and has not made his future plans public.
Lewis's refusal to grant Klitschko an immediate rematch this year forced the Ukrainian to look to Johnson to cement his claims to the world heavyweight title.
Thousands of his fellow countrymen in the 10,823 crowd wore the yellow and blue of Ukraine and Klitschko repaid their rapturous reception with a perfect performance.
Johnson came out swinging wildly, conscious of his critic's claims that he remains too passive in the ring to be world champion.
But despite Johnson's belief that his speed would help outwit his taller, more rigid opponent, Klitschko simply leaned back and immediately began to exert his power over Johnson on the counter.
A rapid combination towards the end of the first round suddenly changed the tone of the fight and established Klitschko's dominance.
It was hammered home with 45 seconds left of the second round, when a straight right from Klitschko caught Johnson and a quick combination sent the 31-year-old to the floor for the first time.
Moments later, with his right eye damaged and his will already broken, Johnson was stopped.
Brutal right
Another brutal right from Klitschko rocked his opponent before a body punch and another right-left to the head knocked him down, forcing the referee to halt the contest.
"My game plan was to move well and use angles," said Johnson, who weighed in at a heavy 118 kilograms (260 pounds).
"But I didn't stick to it. The weight had nothing to do with it. I was beaten by the better man, but I'll be back."
Klitschko said: "I was motivated and 100 percent ready. This shows what I am capable of."
He again demanded a rematch with Lewis, insisting he would beat the champion wherever they fought.
But as Klitschko spoke in the post-fight media conference, he was upstaged by the entrance of former heavyweight champion of the world, Mike Tyson.
"Welcome, Mr Tyson," said Klitschko. "My idol as a child was Mike Tyson, and when we met years ago I said 'I will fight you some day'."
Tyson replied with 'Yeah', but refused to comment further on his possible return to the ring.
