Andre Johnson, a 26-year-old barber and father of two, has been boxing for 10 months. Elijah Lugo, a 26-time national champion, has been boxing since the age of six.

On Saturday in Philadelphia, Johnson took Lugo the distance.

In their four-round bout on a ProBox TV card at the 2300 Arena, Lugo repeatedly pinned Johnson against the ropes and whaled away with prolonged power-shot sequences. But Johnson wouldn’t fall. He slipped some, absorbed plenty and countered when he could – and finished the night upright.

Lugo, 18, finished the fight the winner of every round, but the story of the bout was Johnson’s tenacity. Even as he soaked up significant punishment in every round, Johnson never buckled. He was intent on not going down, he said, to set an example for his children.

“They chose me thinking I was a bum,” Johnson told BoxingScene from the locker room after the fight. “[Lugo] ain’t nothing super-crazy.”

Johnson is now 2-3 less than a year after picking up the sport, but as far as he’s concerned, boxing isn’t just a lark. He has aspirations to be a champion. He’s improving, as his two-person corner attests. He was not hurt to the head after fighting Lugo (though he does mention a first-round body shot that had him hurting). And Johnson had enough success against Lugo that he was even frustrated that he didn’t do better.

Ten months of boxing experience, a week’s notice – it’s a peek into the ugly side of boxing matchmaking. (On top of it all, Johnson usually fights at 154lbs. Lugo is a middleweight.) A touted prospect and his team organize a fight with whoever is likeliest to produce a tick in the win column. The quality of the fight and the lopsided nature of the matchup are irrelevant. 

But Johnson doesn’t feel like a victim, even if he’s fully aware of why he was chosen to fight Lugo. He’s a longtime football player and said his life is defined by overcoming adversity, so this is nothing new. The $4,000-plus he made for the fight didn’t hurt either.

By lasting four rounds with Lugo, Johnson was able to shed light on some holes in the prospect’s game. Lugo tired and began throwing arm punches by fight’s end. He threw caution to the wind during his attacks, standing square and leaving himself open for a couple of pinging right-hand counters from Johnson, even as he controlled the fight. 

Asked whether he exposed Lugo’s flaws for future opponents, Johnson said, “Definitely.”

Owen Lewis is a former intern at Defector media and writes and edits for BoxingScene. His beats are tennis, boxing, books, travel and anything else that satisfies his meager attention span. He is on Bluesky.