 At that time Johnson had no intention of earning a living from the sport, but he became so goaded by a professional known as The Croydon Drover that a fight was arranged for March 1784, at Kennington Common.Johnson beat the Drover to a pulp in 27 minutes and decided to become a professional.The success against the Drover was followed by a victory against the ageing professional Stephen "Death" Oliver in June.