The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Less than one month since he returned home for his first fight on local soil, Tureano ‘Reno’ Johnson is preparing to head back on the road for his next professional fight.

Johnson, who eventually knocked out Colombian Humberto Toledo in the sixth round at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium on December 5, is scheduled to take to the ring on Friday, January 9 in the co-main event middleweight bout at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York.

His opponent: Alex Theran, another Colombian who incidentally sports the same win-loss record at 17-1. The only difference is 30-year-old Johnson has 12 knockouts to his credit, while 24-year-old Theran has 10.

“I won’t have much of a holiday because I have to be working during the holidays,” said Johnson, who is now back in the United States as he prepares for the upcoming match.

Johnson, by the way, has also inked his name on a contract to fight under the promotions of Jay Z. They are promoting their first hybrid fight/live music event, called throne boxing, which will feature Dusty Hernandez Harrison and Tommy Rainone in the main event.

DJ Mustard, radio/TV MC Angie Martinez and rapper Fabolous are both expected to perform throughout the night. Well-known boxing announcer Michael Buffer is also scheduled to make an appearance.

“We are currently signed with them. I am no longer just with Gary Shaw, but I’m now with the Roc Nation Promotions, headed by Jay Z,” Johnson said. “They saw it fitting to put me on television once again on Fox TV at the Madison Square Gardens, but I can assure you that I will be so explosive that this will definitely not be my last.”

Theran, a southpaw, is no stranger to Johnson. The two were on a collision course for the 2008 Olympic Games, but while Johnson made it for Team Bahamas, Theran fell short for Colombia. Fresh off his performance against Toledo, Johnson noted that he will be ready for Theran, who is also coming off a sixth round knockout in his last fight on October 11 against Jhonatan Ricar at the Coliseo Elias Chegwin in their hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia.

“The fight back home was a good warm up for me,” Johnson said. “It couldn’t happen at a better time for me because I didn’t know that I was going to get this opportunity, but it just shows that the good Lord is looking down on me. This is a big opportunity for me and I expect this to go even further.

“By winning this, I should be able to get to fight some of the top guys in my division like David Lemieux of Canada or Billy Joe Saunders of England. So this is a big fight in the step in the right direction for me as I continue to move towards that step of becoming a world champion.”

Johnson, the World Boxing Council’s Continental Americas middleweight champion, is currently ranked at No.9 in the WBC and No.12 in the World Boxing Organisation, but he’s not taking the unranked Theran lightly.

“At this point, my preparation has gone into overload,” Johnson said. “This is the most important fight I have coming up, so I’m not pulling any punches on this. My opponent can only expect the best. Even in my training, I am stepping it up and we have gotten very aggressive and strategic in our training.

“Tureano is going in there to win and win is what I’m going to do. I’m definitely going to do it in grand style.”

As the Bahamas embraces the yuletide season, Johnson admitted that there’s “Christmas” for him as he has to “go to work. Too bad, too sad. I’m going to make the holidays and all of the cheerful greetings. I have a big goal ahead of me, so I have to stay in the gym working out.”

American Tony Bendicott and his sister, Kayla Johnson, will be providing the workout in the gym and in the weight room for Johnson as he makes sure that he’s in tip-top shape for the show.