Chad Johnson made his boxing debut on June 6 against Brian Maxwell in a four-round exhibition match. In the fourth round, Maxwell knocked Johnson down with a sweeping right hand.

Johnson, to his credit, recovered fairly quickly after hitting the mat. And he said during an appearance on I Am Athlete that he could hear the words his mom would have said to him (8:50 mark) as he fell over.

"I could hear my mama. ... 'If you don't get your b---h ass up...' That's how she talks," he said. "If she was ringside, that's exactly what she would've said. 'Man you better get your b---h ass up. Let's go.'" 

Johnson did, finishing off the unjudged fight. It was the sort of rude awakening that only combat sports can provide, especially after Johnson largely kept Maxwell at bay for the first three rounds.