Johnson in a good state ahead of November fight

Johnson in a good state ahead of November fight
Tureano Johnson.

Before departing for Atlanta, Georgia, USA, this weekend to continue training for his upcoming fight with American Christopher Pearson, Tureano Johnson told Eyewitness Sports that he’s in a good frame of mind at this pivotal point in his career.

After being out of the ring for a little over a year with a bicep injury, Johnson is set to fight Pearson in November. Johnson suffered the injury in his last fight, a 12th round technical knockout (TKO) loss to Sergiy Derevyanchenko, of Ukraine, in August of 2017.

“In my next fight, I know I’ll be taking on a formidable opponent in Chris Pearson,” Johnson said.

“He is a well-known fighter, a tough fighter, but I can assure you that he is no Tureano Johnson.

“I’ve learned so much since my last fight. And while I still plan to bring that aggressive style to the ring, I’m also looking to bring a more technical style to the ring. I feel I’m in a better place physically and mentally. I am a lot sharper in both areas than in my last fight.”

Johnson, 34, will continue his training at the X3 Sports Base. He will go into training with a new coach, Cuban Isidoro Nicolas Alice. Johnson was originally supposed to fight in August, however, it was pushed back. He said that he and Pearson are still working on a venue for the November match. Johnson will be fighting under Golden Boy Promotions’ banner once again.

“I expect this next phase of my training to be a lot more rigorous, and a lot more technical,” Johnson added.

“That’s my biggest thing right now, bringing a more technical style to the ring.”

Johnson was the mandatory number one contender for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Middleweight Title before losing last August. The fight against Derevyanchenko was an elimination bout for the number one contender spot for Gennady Golovkin’s title. Johnson originally had a shot at the WBC Middleweight title in 2016, however, the fight never took place.

Johnson injured his shoulder in a unanimous decision win over Irishman Eamonn O’Kane on October 17, 2015. With the win, he became the mandatory No. 1 contender for Golovkin’s title. Unfortunately for Johnson, he further damaged his rotator cuff just ahead of his scheduled fight with Golovkin.

Johnson is currently ranked No. 15 in the world.

About Randy Smith

Randy Smith is the producer of the widely-watched local television show “Beyond The Headlines” and the web content manager of Eyewitness News. He joined Eyewitness News as a sportscaster in 2018, a role he still performs, and has previously covered a slew of international sporting events, including the 2015 Pan American Games, the Nike EYBL Showcase, several IAAF World Relays, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Bahamas Bowl and multiple CARIFTA Swimming and Track & Field Championships. Randy has been recognized by the Bahamas Press Club with awards for “Best Sports Broadcast” as a sportscaster and “Best TV Talk Show” as a producer.