Chad Johnson Knocked Down by Brian Maxwell as Boxing Match Goes the Distance

Former NFL star wide receiver Chad Johnson took part in an exhibition boxing match against professional fighter Brian Maxwell on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Judges did not score the fight, which lasted the entire four-round duration.

The Showtime pay-per-view broadcast credited Johnson with landing 14 of 45 punches (31.1 percent) and Maxwell with connecting on 17 of 68 punches (25.0 percent).

The scorers stated that Johnson had four jabs and 10 power punches, while Maxwell got in 17 power punches.

Pre-fight, the 6'1" Johnson weighed in at 179.5 pounds, and the 6'0" Maxwell checked in at 183.5 pounds.

On Sunday, Johnson looked loose, limber and locked in before the bout:

Once the fight got going, Johnson made an early impact by connecting with a big right hand in the first round.

In Round 4, Maxwell returned the favor:

To his credit, Johnson got up and finished the bout.

The respect between the two fighters was clearly evident afterward:

ESPN's Cameron Wolfe lauded Johnson's effort:

Survival was Johnson's stated pre-fight goal, as he told Wolfe:

"My goal is to get out alive. I want my face still intact. I want my kids to still know it's me. But I want to entertain. I don't want to embarrass those who put the time and energy into me. People who are buying tickets, people that are showing up, I want them to leave and say, 'I doubted Ocho, but to see him get in the ring, knowing that someone tried to kill [him]. He put on one hell of a f--king show.'"

He did just that and held his own.

Johnson also spoke to reporters post-fight: "I don't box. I fight. It's in a ring. ... I lost my virginity tonight. I think I'm ready for [UFC lightweight fighter Conor] McGregor."

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James shouted out Johnson, who used to go by the name Chad Ochocinco in honor of his No. 85, following the fight:

Former light heavyweight champion Andre Ward also liked what he saw:

Johnson also had a prominent person in his corner with Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens in the house:

Johnson, 43, played in the NFL from 2001 to 2011 for the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots. He made six Pro Bowls, earned two All-Pro nods and led the league with 1,369 receiving yards in 2006.

Maxwell, 33, is 2-3 in professional MMA, 0-3 in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship bouts and 0-1 in professional boxing.