by David P. Greisman

Curtis Stevens was behind on the scorecards, down with just a minute to go in the fight, when he landed a big left hook that hurt Tureano Johnson. Stevens followed Johnson to the ropes and unleashed a flurry until the referee stepped in, a stoppage some felt was premature.

But even though Stevens was losing when he scored the come-from-behind victory, and even though the victory came with a bit of controversy, the middleweight from Brooklyn feels that he did what he was supposed to do in getting the win — and now he wants to move on to something other than a rematch.

“I made the fight harder than what I was supposed to. I was submitted to the ropes. I was looking for the knockout so much, I was letting him push me back, and I was looking for the hook and the power shot, instead of me just boxing on my toes,” Stevens said in the post-fight press conference. He did what he had to do. He was smothering me, smothering my punches. Strong fighter, but whether it’s the first round or the last round, I got my job done. I came out with the knockout.”

Stevens then spoke with David P. Greisman of krikya360.com and another reporter.

krikya360.com: Did you know that you were down on the scorecards going into the last round, and what did your trainer, Andre Rozier, tell you going into the 10th?

Stevens: “I knew I was down on the scorecards. My uncle told me, ‘Stop backing up.’ I knew Tureano was hurt. Going into the last round, we walked to my corner, so my uncle said, ‘Look at him, he’s hurt.’ Beginning of the eighth round, I started backing up, my uncle said, ‘Back him up,’ so as I started moving forward and threw the right hand, the hook came. You know once I get you hurt, I finish you, so that’s what I did.”

krikya360.com: How tired were you going into the second half of the fight?

Stevens: “I was tired. I was tired for some reason. I don’t know if it was from juicing the last days and not eating the right foods, but everything’s a learning lesson.”

krikya360.com: Was it more trouble making weight than it normally is?

Stevens: “No. I didn’t have trouble making weight. I juiced the week of the fight. But that’s something I’ll never do again.”

krikya360.com: When you say ‘juiced,’ do you mind briefly explaining what you mean?

Stevens: “Fruits. Do uh, like, smoothies. Vegetables.”

krikya360.com: And it was your first time doing that?

Stevens: “Yes. But everything’s a learning lesson. But I got the job done. Whether it’s the first round or the last round, I got the job done.”

krikya360.com: It seemed like you hurt him in the fourth or fifth round, but as you were getting tired, you were looking more and more for that one shot.

Stevens: “I was looking for one shot. My uncle told me to put together, but when you’re in there, your mind’s going to tell you what to do. But I got to listen to my corner more and stop going off my own free will.”

Other reporter: What was Andre saying in the corner? What was he telling you round by round?

Stevens: “He told me to stop backing up, use the jab, use the jab. But every time he came out, I was like, I’m going to throw this, I’m going to throw that, but he was inside, he was smothering me so much I couldn’t get my shot off the way I wanted to. He did what he was supposed to. I didn’t do what I was supposed to. I made the fight harder than I was supposed to. But like I said, it ain’t over ‘til the last round.”

Other reporter: Is a rematch what you want, or do you want to move forward?

Stevens: “Move forward, man. I got him out of there, man. I don’t care if he was winning or not. I got him out of there. I did what I was supposed to do.”

Other reporter: Who’s on your radar?

Stevens: “Kid Chocolate [Peter Quillin], [James] Kirkland.”

krikya360.com: What would you say of Johnson’s power? He didn’t seem to have you badly hurt, but he definitely had enough pop that you couldn’t walk through his punches.

Stevens: “It wasn’t that I couldn’t walk through his punches. I was submitting too much. I was backing up of my own free will, for no reason. I don’t know why I did it. Maybe it was because I was looking for the knockout too much, but I was backing up for no reason. Everything’s a learning lesson, though.”

krikya360.com: What did it feel like when you landed that big punch that you’d been hoping for in that final round?

Stevens: “I finally got it. I finally got it. You see, once I had him hurt, I jumped on him. Once I get you hurt, I’ma finish you, you know? He maybe believe it was a premature stoppage, but I seen it. He wasn’t throwing back. The ref should’ve let it go on. He should’ve let me put him down. But you know what, I’m not the referee. The referee felt he should’ve stopped it, and it got stopped.”

krikya360.com: What kind of future do you think Johnson has in the middleweight division?

Stevens: “He fought an excellent fight. Taking nothing away from him, he did what he was supposed to do. His stock probably went up. I don’t know, I’m not no promoter. I’m a fighter. That’s all I do is fight.”

Pick up a copy of David’s new book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at or internationally at . Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com