The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

“All I want is a fair chance, all I want is a fair chance, all I want is a fair chance,” were the sentiments echoed by Taureano ‘Reno’ Johnson to the referee throughout the latter rounds of his 10-round bout against Curtis Stevens at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Friday night.

Unfortunately, Johnson’s plea went on deaf ears as referee Gary Rosato stepped in and halted the fight with two minutes and nine seconds on the clock. As a result, Johnson suffered his first loss in 15 fights since turning pro on March 5, 2010 when he stopped Cleoney Fuqua 2:50 into the first round of their scheduled four rounder at the Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia.

“It’s what it is,” said Johnson in an interview with The Tribune on Sunday. “It’s a hard feeling. I went in there and I did what I was supposed to do. Everything was going my way, even up to the time when he gave me his final flurry. I was going to come back and counter with my own, but the referee just stepped in and stopped the fight.”

From the fifth round of their middleweight fight, Johnson said he knew if it was going to be a close fight, he could be in trouble.

“The referee was pushing me back violently. I thought that was uncalled for,” Johnson said. “On several occasions he was calling me for a low blow, hitting behind the head and holding. I didn’t see where I was doing any of that and I told the referee when he came to warn me that all I wanted was a fair chance, all I wanted was a fair chance, all I wanted was a fair chance.

“I said that three times in the corner in the fifth round and then I realised that I was fighting the referee. But every time I went back out, I tried to forget about the referee only until the bell rang to stop the round that I realised that I was not just fighting the fighter, but the referee as well.”

Johnson’s promoter Gary Shaw said he clearly felt that his fighter won the fight and the referee should have allowed it to continue.

“I’m outraged that my fighter Taureano Johnson was robbed of his ability to finish the fight,” Shaw said. “Johnson clearly could have continued on. Stevens is nothing. Johnson was winning every round. I’m going to protest this premature stoppage and demand an immediate rematch. To rob a fighter like Johnson got robbed tonight is preposterous. With what Johnson gave the fans tonight, he should have at least been able to finish the fight. I’m beside myself with this decision.”

The decision left Johnson with a 14-1 win-loss record with 10 knockouts, while Stevens improved to 27-4 with 20 KOs.

“I wanted to come out tonight and give the fans an all action war. My game plan was to come right at Stevens and bring the fight to him,” Johnson said. “I did exactly what I wanted to do and I was winning the fight convincingly. I have a great chin. When he landed that left hook in the final round, I was rocked, but I was ready to continue.

“I was robbed by the referee tonight and the fans should rally behind me to command an instant rematch. My message to Curtis Stevens is you better not run from the rematch, because if you do, the fans will know you’re a fraud.”

Johnson, coming off an eight-round unanimous decision in his previous fight over Willie Fortune on February 22, 2013 at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Cabazon, California, said he has requested a rematch with Stevens, but he has already turned him down.

“I’ve had this treatment before,” said Johnson, who remembered the 2000 Olympic Games in Beijing, China when he was given a raw deal in his fight that denied him the opportunity to advance to the medal round. “In this fight, I should have ran or tried to knock him out in the final round.

“We thought we weren’t ahead on the judges’ cards because we’re not fighting in the Bahamas. We’re fighting in someone else’s backyard under their promotion, so me and my coach felt I had to go in there and knock this guy out. He was exhausting himself and before I could come back, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.

“I thought that was so uncalled for, but until I’m able to fight at home in front of my home people, I don’t think I will get a fair chance. Either way, I’m going to continue fighting. We’re trying to get a rematch with Curtis, but that’s going to be a futile experience because he doesn’t want to fight anymore.”

Johnson, 30, said he will just go back to the drawing board in the gym and get ready for his next appearance in the ring on July 11 against two possible opponents.

“You can look forward to that. You can look forward to me bringing the victory home again,” he said. “It was a devastating loss. Had it came in a fair manner, I would have accepted my loss. But it’s hard to accept this as a loss. My promoter is still protesting it. They are trying to get it overturned to a no contest.

“This is hard because I was trying to protect my unblemished record and it hurts. It really does hurt. There isn’t anything that I can do about it. It’s just not a good feeling.”