The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

TUREANO Johnson and his camp were left with disappointment rather than a much-anticipated return to action in the ring.

Johnson was scheduled to face David Lemieux Saturday night in New York’s Madison Square Garden, however, the Canadian native failed to make weight and was eventually hospitalised for severe dehydration.

Lemieux withdrew from what was intended to be a 12-round co-main event on the Canelo Alvarez versus Rocky Fielding card, broadcasted live on DAZN.

“It’s a great disappointment to me,” Johnson told Fight Hub TV. “I’m not going to soften up myself, but truth be told I’m more than ready to fight David Lemieux. I was expecting the best David Lemieux out there. I’m sticking to the fact that David Lemieux didn’t mention anything to the public at large – in all his interviews he said ‘I only took one week off from fighting Sullivan, my weight is fine, my training is going well – man come on, don’t be lying to the folks like that. That right there that disgusts me greatly right now.”

The Lemieux bout would have marked Johnson’s return to the ring for the first time since an August 2017 loss to Sergiy Derevyanchenko.

“I’m prepared to take on the best David Lemieux to ever step into the ring,” Johnson said, “He couldn’t have thought I was a joke and definitely I’m not just a stepping stone man. You want to take on Canelo, he’s the superstar in boxing, but you can’t take on Canelo if you can’t get pass Tureano. I deserve that opportunity, I came here to prove that I’m the mandatory to fight the biggest name in boxing and that’s Canelo. Will I be able to prove that after this?”

The Canadian power puncher has struggled with making weight in past bouts, most recently he forfeited 20% of his fight purse after missing weight for an eventual 12-round win over Karim Achour this past May in Quebec City. The former middleweight titlist also saw a planned 2016 hometown showcase versus James de la Rosa get scrapped after not even coming close to making the contracted weight limit.

The Lemieux camp reportedly reached out to the Johnson camp on Thursday to request flexibility with the agreed upon weight and an increase to 162 pounds.

“I know what David Lemieux does with his dehydration, that’s a great benefit to him. That’s a tactic that he uses but it wasn’t going to work with me, you’re going to make 160 pounds. You can rehydrate all you want after that but you’re going to make that weight and that’s how it going to be. You have to be discipline and you have to be fair He was neither. I’m going to stick to the rules of the game. I’ts upsetting. It’s a disappointing task and it feels like highway robbery,” Johnson said, It’s a not a sport, this is an everyday thing for me. Training is a lifestyle. We’re going back to the drawing board to push Golden Boy as hard as we can to get me back into the ring.”

According Golden Boy matchmaker Roberto Ortiz, the promotion will indeed look to book a new opponent for the Bahamian middleweight in short order.

“We will pay him 50% of his purse,” he told NY Fights, “plus he received an advance for training that we will not deduct and most importantly schedule him as soon as possible.”

Johnson is now under the tutelage of trainer Andre Rosier, who coached both of his opponents in his only two losses – Derevyanchenko and Curtis Stephens.

Rosier said he was disappointed but not surprised at the antics from the Lemieux camp,

“It was almost as if we expected something to go on because this has been David Lemieux’s modus operandi. I was looking forward to Tureano shining and showing his new techniques we have been working on. It’s a letdown for Tureano and his entire team. Now we won’t be able to shine like we originally trained and prepared for,” Rosier said, “We had indication when they contacted us the day before and wanted to up the weight ante to 162. I mean come on now, and I said ‘Here he goes with the monkey business again. I’m not going to put my fighter in a position where he does not have the advantage. He made 160, he was ready to fight you come in, make 160 and stop proclaiming that you’re going to do this that and the other thing. Tueano was ready his opponent was not.”

Jonhson’s return to the ring is at an impasse for the second consecutive month. In November, Johnson was preparing to re-enter against Curtis Pearson, however both sides could not finalize an agreement.