Tureano Johnson earns a draw after the layoff.
Coming off of a 17-month layoff, Tureano Johnson (20-2-1) returned to the ring in Indio, California. Here, he was hoping to restart his career following a 12th round stoppage loss to Sergiy Derevyanchenko in August 2017.
He was on the receiving end of a much tougher than expected fight against Fernando Castaneda (26-13-1, 17 KO’s). This was a rough, tough battle that ended in an eight-round split decision draw (77-75 Johnson, 77-75 Castaneda, 76-76).
Despite his modest record, Castaneda came to win as he came forward landing shots to the body and head. Despite an advantage in height and reach, Johnson chose to stand and engage.
Though having success with the right uppercut during the first two rounds, he stood right in the pocket and fought Castaneda. This directly opposed the instructions of his trainer, Andre Rozier, who wanted Johnson to keep the fight more at a distance.
In the fourth, Johnson continued to press the action and find success with the right uppercut. However, as he kept coming forward, he stayed in range for Castaneda to keep plugging away. This fight eventually turned into a toe-to-toe battle over the last four rounds as both fighters went back and forth landing punches.
The action was plenty and as the fight went along, the crowd really started getting into the action.
In the end, this was a disappointing fight for Johnson who was looking to use this bout as a springboard into world title contention. He blamed his performance on the layoff.
Castaneda, on the other hand, who won the crowd over during the fight, was calling for a rematch.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
