Leavander Johnson, Requiescat in pace.

Mr.Johnson lost his last battle yesterday. I don't know much about him. I don't think I ever saw him fight. I just think he should be remembered. (Thanks to ESPN.comfor the heads up.)

Leavander Johnson chased riches and glory in the ring for the better part of 16 years. He had to travel to Italy to become a champion, but finally had a belt around his waist and hope for his boxing future.

It all fell apart in less than an hour inside a hotel arena on the glittering Las Vegas Strip. First, Johnson lost his lightweight title. Then, he lost his life.

The 35-year-old died Thursday at a local hospital, five days after he was rushed from his dressing room at the MGM Grand hotel-casino with bleeding on the brain.

Doctors moved quickly to try to save his life, rushing him into surgery within 40 minutes from the time he began staggering on his way from the ring. But the injury to his brain was so severe that this was one fight Johnson was not going to win.

"If there's any solace to be taken in this, it's that he died doing what he loved," said Lou DiBella, Johnson's promoter. "He died a champion."

Doctors said there was little they could do after Johnson stopped responding to treatment. His surgeon estimated only one in four people with subdural hematomas like Johnson survive.

"We had no further mode to improve his prognosis, so the family very correctly made the decision to withdraw care," Dr. William Smith said. "He passed away very peacefully."

Johnson was making his first defense as a champion when he entered the ring Saturday night to take on Jesus Chavez. He came in with the IBF belt around his waist, and with the newfound confidence that he was a champion boxer.

Johnson had been a pro since 1989, and before that had more than 100 fights as an amateur. But he was a journeyman fighter at best, losing three times in title fights during his career and seemingly on a career path to nowhere.

He had won only three of his last six fights when DiBella managed to get him a fight for the vacant IBF lightweight title. He had to go to Italy and fight a hometown favorite in Stefano Zoff, but he somehow managed to knock him out in the seventh round to win the crown.

"I've never seen anybody so proud or so grateful to achieve his dream," DiBella said.

Amen to that, Brother.

It didn't take long for Chavez to shatter that dream. Johnson was making $150,000 for the fight, his biggest payday ever, but Chavez gave him a beating -- landing more than 400 punches, many to the head.

The fight ended 38 seconds into the 11th round when Chavez landed some two dozen unanswered punches, prompting referee Tony Weeks to halt the fight. A ring doctor examined Johnson, who said he was OK.

"I'm just sad and disappointed," Johnson said.

Johnson left the ring upright, but began having trouble walking on his way to the dressing room. He was quickly put in an ambulance and, by a stroke of luck, a neurosurgeon was at the hospital when he arrived and he was rushed to surgery.

By then, swelling on the outer lining of his brain had forced his brain from one side of his skull to the other. Doctors put him in a medically induced coma but weren't sure he would live through the night.

He had another operation Monday to remove a blood clot, but his kidneys began shutting down and his heart finally stopped working on its own. Family members decided it was time to take him off life support and he died late Thursday afternoon at University Medical Center.

DiBella said Johnson's family members were present when he died. Johnson's father was his trainer and his brother was his manager.

It's one heck of a way to earn a living, boxing is. May God bless and protect the men who chose it.

"There'll be a lot of people who'll take pokes at boxing for this. We can be better for protecting our athletes. But this was not a situation where anyone failed Leavander Johnson," said DiBella, who knew Johnson for more than 10 years. "It was just God's will. It's a sport that's inherently dangerous."

True enough.

Smith said it was not clear whether one punch or an accumulation of punches caused the injury. He said doctors also don't know for sure whether fighters who take a lot of punches during their career are more susceptible to brain damage.

"It's a tough question to answer 100 percent. Certainly, some evidence suggests repeated blows over time will make a person able to resist a major injury less well," Smith said. "His reserves for recovering from this were much less than had he never had taken the blows over time."

Johnson's opponent, meanwhile, said he would contribute a portion of his future purses to a fund for Johnson's four children.

Amen to that, Brother.

"All of my prayers are with Leavander Johnson and his family in this difficult time," Chavez said. "He was a true warrior with a tremendous heart, and every day I will think of him and say a prayer for him. He will never be forgotten."

May God have mercy on all souls.