By Ben Jacobs

Top middleweight contender Tureano Johnson (18-1, 13 KOs) recently announced a number of changes to his team which included promoter, manager and trainer.  The Bahamas native last fought in January with a stoppage of Alex Theran and along with the announcement that he put pen to paper with Golden Boy Promotions, also came the news that he will square off against Irishman Eamon O’Kane on the undercard of Gennady Golovkin versus David Lemieux.  Johnson’s new manager, Garcia Staley spoke to krikya360.com about his client who debuts for his new promoter on October 17.

“I have had a personal and business relationship with Tureano right before he turned professional,” he explained.

“I flew him and his dad out to Washington DC.  They came to train and spar for three or four days, we met through another fellow Bahamian who used to box, Floyd Seymour.  Ever since then we’ve been keeping in touch.”

Originally from Maryland, Staley is predominantly based in the Washington DC area and runs a company called Titanium Sports and Entertainment.

“We are a Florida based company, in Fort Lauderdale.  We are licensed in Washington DC for management and promotion.  So we do some events in DC as far as concert promotion, artist development and sports management.  I have in the past done some consulting deals with DeMarcus ‘Chop Chop’ Corley and former WBC middleweight champion, Keith Holmes.”

Johnson was coveted by several promotional companies following his departure from Gary Shaw Productions, but it was Golden Boy who managed to put pen to paper with the 31-year-old.

“Outside of me being in the sport, I’m a fan.  I was a fan of Óscar De La Hoya since he turned professional.  I always liked him even when people were against him.  He’s one of the new faces of boxing, even though he has been around a while.  You had Top Rank and Don King before that but to me now it looks like Golden Boy and Mayweather Promotions will be the main promoters when Bob Arum retires.  Who else can deliver?  You can go with an Al Haymon, which is not a bad idea but as far as I know Al Haymon, he was a concert promoter more than a boxing promoter.  He was doing business with Golden Boy before he ventured off to do his own thing.”

The end of a working relationship in boxing often provides a less than amicable ending, particularly involving promoter and fighter.  Nevertheless, following Johnson’s signing with Golden Boy, Gary Shaw took to Twitter to express positive words to his former charge.

“Usually boxing relationships end kind of ugly but it wasn’t the case with Gary Shaw.  Gary Shaw had a big influence and a big part in De La Hoya signing Tureano.  He loves Tureano, we talked on the phone and he wishes him all the best.”