Last week, Tureano Johnson claimed the WBC Continental Americas middleweight title at the Little Creek Casino in Shelton, Wash.
He defeated 28-year-old Mike Gavronski by unanimous decision after their ten-round brawl on Friday night.
The win was a good rebound for Johnson after he suffered a controversial loss to American fighter Curtis Stevens.
Gavronski came out and gave Johnson a bit more than he was expecting early in the fight. He was the stronger of the team fighters and managed to catch Johnson with several clean blows in the early rounds. Despite getting off to a quick start, Gavronski began to slow down midway through the fight. Johnson was clearly in better shape, and as the rounds passed, Johnson began to build momentum.
At the beginning of the sixth round, Gavronski was faced with an unusual problem; his right shoe began to come apart from the bottom. Although he was able to continue fighting, it was a hindrance to him, as his shoe flapped throughout the remainder of the bout.
In the final two rounds Johnson began to run circles around his opponent. He connected with head shots at will and staggered Gavronski on several occasions. Many thought that Gavronski took too much punishment late in the fight and that it should have been stopped at the end of the eighth round.
The ringside doctor was asked to check on Gavronski in the final rounds by suggestion of the referee, but the athlete claimed that he was still able to fight.
As the fight went to the scorecards, there was no doubt about who the victor of the match was going to be.
On the day of the fight, Johnson had to lose two pounds to make the weight for the fight. That kind of rapid weight loss usually results in fatigue or dehydration. But despite that, Johnson was still able to emerge victorious.
"From the very first round, believe it or not, I was exhausted and I was tired. In boxing terms, I was a 'bit shot', which means I was unable to deliver a lot of punches. But thanks to almighty God I was able to get through the fight," said Johnson.
"Each round got harder and harder, but I noticed in the seventh round my opponent started to get a bit fatigued, and that's when my momentum started to pick up. I also gained a little bit of confidence as it went on, but that was not my best showing at all."
With the win, Johnson now has a professional record of 15-1 with 10 knockouts.

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