In a new series, published during weekdays on Boxing Social, the incomparable Terry Dooley delivers his unique look at the boxing news.
It was neither a case of repeat or revenge in Leeds on Saturday night after an accidental clash of heads meant that the rematch between Mauricio Lara (23-2-1, 16 KOs) and Josh Warrington (30-1-1, 7 KOs) ended in a Technical Draw.
It was an inconclusive end to what had been a scrappy fight in the early going, with Warrington’s head coming in often enough to cause concerns even prior to the head clash that opened up a bad over Lara’s left eye. It left the ringside doctor no choice but to call off the contest after only two completed rounds.
Despite the inconclusive ending, Warrington and his team have claimed it as some sort of moral victory despite the fact that all the problems his 23-year-old opponent posed in their first fight back in February appeared to be rising to the surface once again.
With promoter Eddie Hearn claiming that the Mexican is likely to be out for over six-months and Sean O’Hagan, Warrington’s trainer and father, arguing that it was only a matter of time before his son won it is clear that the 30-year-old from Leeds is unlikely to vigorously pursue a third fight and will now plan his next move.
“I have good people around me,” said Warrington in the aftermath of the fight. “If I want a third fight with Lara, I could wait seven months. I’ll make a decision based on their advice. The plan was to win and go to the States next. I am 30-years-old and I have had seven months out, how long do I wait before he is in the gym and back training. Is it another seven months?”
“There are other options out there for Josh Warrington and we’ll see how quick Mauricio Lara heals up,” added Hearn. “I’d like to get Josh Warrington out as soon as possible, he’s fresh, he’s done two rounds tonight and I don’t think Lara is going to be back soon.”
“I had the hump because I thought Lara was looking for a way out of the fight,” added Hearn. “Then I went and had a look after the doctor called the fight off and the cut was absolutely horrific. I definitely got that wrong.”
Ireland’s lightweight world Champion Katie Taylor (19-0, 6 KOs) decisioned Jennifer Hann (18-4-1-1, 1 stoppage) on the undercard, which earned her a rave review from DAZN’s Tony Bellew. The former WBC cruiserweight titlist believes that the 35-year-old has achieved enough to call herself the best female fighter of all time.
“She’s technically one of the best females to ever grace the sport,” he said during the post-fight analysis. “Yes, Claressa Shields is amazing in her own right, but she’s not active in a boxing ring. She’s taking part in MMA. We have the best pound for pound female fighter on the planet in Katie Taylor right now.”
River Wilson-Bent (9-0, 5 KOs) has told Mike Lockley of the Sunday Mercury that there is a personal dimension to his fight against Sladjan Janjanin (29-8, 23 early) at the Coventry Skydrome this Friday night after his opponent referred to Bent as a ‘Little girl’ via Instagram.
Both men have got a good KO ratio, but the 27-year-old believes that his power will be the key factor on the night and that his opponent has made a mistake by riling him up. “I’m going to do a real good job nailing this guy flat to the canvas,” he declared.
“I’m pleased that he’s really confident and talking big ahead of the fight because he’ll be falling from a great height when I knock him out. Janjanin is the type of opponent I wanted to fire me up and get me in the right frame of mind to do some damage. He’s a step up for me, he’s very experienced, he took [Martin] Murray the distance when they fought and it will be a big statement if I can get him out of there quicker…I’ll be leaving Janjanin in the gutter at the end of the night.”
Boxing has been so strange lately that an ex-crime figure claiming that a rematch between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson has been agreed in principle has an air of credence to it. Former Colombo family member Michael Franzese has his own podcast, which in and of itself is odd, and has claimed that the two former foes will engage in an exhibition match.
Speaking on his Sit Down podcast, the former Mafia figure outlined Tyson’s future plans, which also include an exhibition against Evander Holyfield. “He’s fighting Lennox Lewis in December, and I can tell you he’s in great shape,” he said.
“I just want to get the exhibition over Lennox Lewis,” Tyson told Franzese when guesting on the podcast. “Iron” Mike also revealed that he also wants to box an exhibition against Tyson Fury, but that his main goal is to find some measure of redemption against both Lewis and Evander Holyfield as boxing’s senior tour shows no sign of abating.
However, it seems highly unlikely that Lewis would take part in this type of thing, so Tyson is more likely to target Holyfield, who has stepped in for the Covid-19 hit Oscar De La Hoya for an exhibition meeting against former UFC fighter Vitor Belfort at the Hard Rock Seminole in Hollywood on September 11.