Johnson confident of gold after reaching quarter-finals »

Taureano Johnson

BEIJING, China, Aug 14, CMC – Bahamian boxer Taureano Johnson Thursday exuded confidence after winning his second-round Olympic bout against Ukraine’s Olexandr Strets’kyy.

“Most definitely I want gold. My body is in good condition. I am not tired. I feel fantastic about it because I have confidence in my condition,” said Johnson after scoring his points win at Workers’ Gymnasium.

“I have been training in Cuba with my coaches and we put together a really good game plan. I am now a five-star boxer. I have to give God thanks for all of this. My game plan is for gold and gold only.”

Strets’kyy, a European championship bronze medallist, began well and earned a 2-1 lead by the end of the first round but Johnson, a seven-time Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) championship gold medallist, won with authority after a watchful start.

“We always go into a fight with a game plan. We are not just going in to be the same Taureno, the big puncher,” Johnson explained.

“We are going into it after making a game plan. We are going to work and stick to the game plan no matter what.”

Johnson was bothered in the initial stages by his opponent’s height and reach but did well to counteract this.

“He does not punch as strong as his frame suggests but he does have a good hold. Nobody can beat me anyway, but a strong hold can throw me off my plan,” said the fighter, who turned 24 on Tuesday.

“We were able to counter attack this with more movement and lighter punches to keep my score up. We wanted to keep the score low and we executed.”

CMC dt/kp/08

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