Chad Johnson dropped, still makes final bell in boxing debut

Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson was knocked down in the fourth round of his boxing debut against Brian Maxwell Sunday night on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul.

Johnson ultimately survived and went the distance with Maxwell after four two-minute rounds. The pair faced off in an exhibition contest, so no winner was announced at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Johnson, 43, connected with several good shots during the first three rounds and displayed impressive movement and speed for his ring debut.

Maxwell, who has experience in MMA, bare-knuckle fighting, and boxing, dropped Johnson with a devastating right hand with 45 seconds remaining in the fight. However, Johnson returned to his feet and made it to the final bell.

"My life has always been about taking chances, doing crazy stuff," Johnson said in his postfight interview. "This is just one (thing) off my bucket list. And it's a message for a lot of people out there, man, that are content, that are scared to fail, scared to lose, who don't take chances. Get out there and live, man."

Johnson admitted his boxing skills were "a little sloppy" but said he had fun during his first combat sports appearance and joked he was "ready for (UFC star Conor) McGregor."

Johnson played in the NFL for 11 seasons from 2001-12. In addition to nine years with the Bengals, he also had stints on the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins.

Maxwell is 2-3 as a professional MMA fighter, 0-1 as a pro boxer, and 0-3 in the Bare Knuckle FC promotion.