Middleweight vet Tureano Johnson scored a solid win, as he downed Jason Quigley, and grabbed the NABO 160 pound crown in Cali, and on RINGTV, Thursday night, notching a W for the 35 and over set.
Golden Boy promoted the Indio show, and watchers saw the Bahamas-born Johnson, now training with Brooklyn’s Andre Rozier, turn it on, and put it to the Irishman Quigley.
Quigley’s energy waned, and on social media, some opined that his corner should or could have stopped the event after, say, round seven. But Quigley’s heart and toughness are not in question, he wanted to keep going. The corner looked extra hard at him, and the ref came over and grilled him, and was going to allow a tenth round…but trainer Dominic Ingle saw enough. No more, fight is over, he informed the ref.
Johnson (21-2-1) on Friday morning still felt like he was on Cloud 9. “Yep, we did it. All the pain in training and injuries, let downs and disappointment paid off last night. The win started with saying yes immediately when asked to fight this opponent. I went to Atlanta, did my strength and conditioning work with Nicholas Isidoro of Cuba. Then off to New York with the master mind and technical coach Andre Rozier and his team of coaches Lenny Wilson and Terrence Simpson. They came up with a game plan to not just beat Quigley, but to sharpen up my mistakes. Slowly but surely it’s all coming together. Jabs were the most effective tool, as in the past I was not one who favoured the jab. Head movement was the keys, the burrowing method only made me more able to get hit, finally, being patient was not one of my best traits, but it paid off in this fight. And yes, I’m good and ready to fight again. Want to keep the momentum and staying busy is the key. More time with my coaches will definitely be the game changer for now and times to come. It sure feels good. No time to celebrate, we have bigger goals ahead that needs focus now.”
RING’s Doug Fischer helped call the action from ringside. What was his take? “Quigley fought the wrong fight against the wrong veteran IMO. And Tureano should not have been considered a big underdog. He’s 35 but we’ll preserved. As long as he’s injury free and remains active, he’s a player at 160. And Andre Rozier did a great job in the corner.”
I also messaged Quigley (16-1) on Friday. First things first; is he feeling OK?
“I’m all good, just my pride a little hurt but it’s all good,” he said, “and this is what boxing is about, really appreciate the message!”
Classy kid, right?
“I assured my corner I was good and I was never hurt or staggered , they pulled me out at the right time,” the 28 year old told me. “I’m greatful I have a corner that is looking out for me!”
