Teddy Atlas, the noted trainer and TV color commentator, has referred to the boxing ring as “a chamber of truth,” where any number of difficult questions are asked and answered in the most unforgiving sport’s crucible of competition.
Questions were indeed asked during the 10-round super middleweight bout between rising contender Jesse Hart and journeyman Dashon Johnson on Friday, but the truthfulness of the answers remains a matter of interpretation. Had Hart -- the Philadelphia native who scored a unanimous decision before a packed, supportive hometown crowd of 1,322 at the 2300 Arena -- displayed the grit and mettle of a future world champion despite being knocked down once and possibly twice?