Headline News

Jason Quigley secures potential breakthrough fight


Jason Quigley [16(12)-0] will step back up to fringe world level next month as he seeks to set up a major title fight.

It has been confirmed that the Donegal middleweight will face battle-hardened Bahamian Tureano Johnson [20(14)-2(2)-1] in the headline fight of a Golden Boy card at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California, on July 18th.

Quigley will put his NABF rankings title on the line for a second time in the Thursday night fight, looking to build on his #5 spot with the WBC and towards a fight with megastar promotional stablemate Canelo Alvarez.

The fight will be shown live on DAZN as well as via the Golden Boy Fight Night Facebook page.

In Johnson, Quigley faces probably his toughest opponent to date as a pro.

The Caribbean 35-year-old will be known to Irish fans for his IBF final eliminator win over another Ulsterman in Eamonn O’Kane back in 2015. With Gennady Golovkin holding the belt at this time, Johnson’s shot was delayed and he was then beaten in another eliminator versus Ukrainian Sergiy Derevyanchenko back in August 2017.

Johnson, also a Golden Boy stablemate of Quigley, made his return to the ring in February where he was held to a surprise draw by Fernando Castaneda.

It’s a fourth successive headline appearance for Quigley in America following his injury-hit NABF title-winning display against Glen Tapia, his comeback stoppage of Daniel Rosario, and his gruelling war with Freddy Hernandez. Most recently, however, the Ballybofey boxer was seen in London marking his European debut with a dominant display versus Finn Mathias Eklund.

28 last month, Quigley is approaching a crucial stage in his career and the Dominic Ingle-trained former elite amateur will want to vault himself into contention with an impressive win on July 18th.

The Finn Valley fighter last year was close to jumping in with major Japanese name Ryota Murata while he has also expressed his willingness to face rising U.S. star Rob Brant and is eager to progress as he approaches the fifth anniversary of his pro debut.

Aligned to the DAZN over-the-top streaming platform, Quigley shares his broadcast home with middleweight champions Alvarez and Demetrius Andrade alongside Golovkin.

In the co-main event next month, Argentine Alberto Melian will defend his NABA super bantamweight title against Leonardo Baez, while there are also appearances for Marlen Esparza, Ricardo Sandoval, Carlos Morales, and Charles Huerta.

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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