BoxRec

I think in AJ's case it made sense to rematch Ruiz jnr...and with hindsight it all worked out.

The problem with return fights is it slows down careers IMO, especially with how long it can take before the boxers are out again. In reality it's a year or more of your career gone.

There's never been so many boxers around like there is today, so not every fight needs a rematch with all the option open.

Nigel Benn never rematched Michael Watson and it didn't do him any harm whatsoever.

THEBUTCH wrote: ↑25 Apr 2021, 06:20 I think in AJ's case it made sense to rematch Ruiz jnr...and with hindsight it all worked out.

The problem with return fights is it slows down careers IMO, especially with how long it can take before the boxers are out again. In reality it's a year or more of your career gone.

There's never been so many boxers around like there is today, so not every fight needs a rematch with all the option open.

Nigel Benn never rematched Michael Watson and it didn't do him any harm whatsoever.

Losses 30 years ago meant far less than they do now unfortunately. I think the Benn example though is slightly different. He’d only been a pro for 2 years so so when he lost to Watson and whilst it was a fight between 2 very good fighters it was just for the commonwealth title. He was able to rebuild and go a separate way.

I think it’s trickier to do that when you’re considered to be the number 1 or 2 of a division like AJ and Warrington were.

I don’t think the Lara rematch will slow down his career. If he wins it then it puts him in position to fight the likes of Xu, Navarette, Russell. Alternatively if he fights a random guy from the top 15 then it’ll be difficult for him to be taken as a genuine threat to one of the main champions and any offers to fight them will reflect that.

The way losses are viewed is over the top and fickle, but that's only if you listen to the media and fans.

"he's got nowhere to go" "it's make or break" etc.....it's mostly bollocks !

How many times have we seen Chrisora written off after several defeats ? Classic example if you keep plugging away and don't listen to media/fans the opportunities keep coming.

Warrington has lost 1 contest

maverick23 wrote: ↑25 Apr 2021, 07:12 I don’t think the Lara rematch will slow down his career. If he wins it then it puts him in position to fight the likes of Xu, Navarette, Russell.

He couldn't get those fights when he was a champion. They are going to want paying top dollar now.

Josh Warrington - ‘My plea to Leeds Council to let me fight Mauricio Lara in front of my fans at Emerald Headingley’

Leeds Warrior Josh Warrington has today issued an urgent appeal to Leeds Council to let him fight at Emerald Headingley Stadium.

Leeds’s first male boxing world champion wants revenge against Mauricio Lara in front of 25,000 fans at the rugby and cricket venue on September 4. But in a shock move last month, Leeds Council rejected Headingley as a venue due to concerns over the late-night finish and disruption to residents.

And Warrington has responded by writing a letter to the council via the pages of the YEP, urging them to overturn the decision.

Josh’s Letter

“Saturday, May 19, 2018 will always be up there with one of the best days of my life.

“Apart from getting married to my wife Natasha and the birth of my beautiful baby girls, the day I became IBF World Champion in front of a packed Elland Road will always be special.

“Nobody expected me to do it, everybody wrote me off but the people who truly believed in me were my loyal fans.

“From supporting me at leisure centres and hotel banqueting suites, they have been with me from the start.

“That victory on a warm summer’s evening at the home of my beloved Leeds United was for them.

“Contrast that with a first defeat at a deserted, cold Wembley Arena against Mauricio Lara in February, without my army of fans, it was a tough one to take.

“After plenty of soul searching as to what went wrong, at the elite level of sport there is no room for errors.

“Revenge will be sweet as I am getting back to full fitness after a minor operation on my elbow and waiting patiently for a date from my promoter Eddie Hearn on a rematch in September.

“The people of Leeds have given me so much support over the years and after the pandemic I wanted to give them something to look forward to in the city and my dream was to avenge the only loss of my career, at Headingley Stadium.

“Unfortunately the application from Leeds City Council has been rejected which is a huge setback not just for me personally but to the people of Leeds who have always supported me.

“Headingley Stadium has a fantastic history which dates back to 1890 and I wanted to be a part of the first ever boxing match to take place there.

“Headingley is a fantastic area of the city, with it’s vibrant atmosphere and people living in the area from all over the world, it’s a perfect destination for people to come together, support the local community, enjoy themselves and support me in my comeback fight.

“To give those memories back to my fans is something that I think about every day and I won’t let them down on the journey we have shared together.

“Leeds Rhinos and Matchroom Boxing have submitted an appeal to overturn the decision, we’re all hoping for the right outcome.

“And here I am today appealing to the council to overturn the decision and grant the Leeds Rhinos and Headingley Stadium a license to host my fight in September.”

Marching on Together

Josh Warrington
---------------------

The YEP understands the appeal for the stadium’s application to hold two boxing matches per year is listed for 2pm on August 27, at Kirklees Magistrates Court.

If Warrington and Matchroom have to wait that long for the decision to be overturned it would not give them enough time to plan or promote a fight planned for September 4.

Both Leeds Rhinos and Yorkshire County Cricket Club recently invested £46m in the redevelopment of Emerald Headingley.

For Warrington it is particularly crucial that he gets back fighting in front of his home crowd. He has enjoyed two of the best nights of his career fighting in front of packed venues; defeating Lee Selby in May 2019 at Elland Road to win the world title, and then Carl Frampton seven months later at Manchester Arena.

He suffered a shock defeat to Lara when fighting in an empty Wembley Arena in February.

You can imagine Warrington is able to box better than he did. He traded with a Mexican and left himself open to power punches, which is a terrible mistake. Remember Ricky Burns and Paul Hodkinson, making the same errors? Jamie McDonnell had the right strategy, box then pick the right moment to trade, later on; and obviously Josh Taylor gave a magnificent recent example, but he’s just exceptional.

It was a while since I saw the Warrington v Lara fight, and I can’t remember if Josh was wide open to the left hook or was it an unorthodox right hand? But he made the same mistake the entire fight and was clipped continually.

You’d think a disciplined performance would serve him far better. He obviously has been given a painful lesson that he can’t go through everyone. If he hasn’t been broken by the defeat, we could see a great fight - or a memorable win.

It's a ridiculous excuse from the council. Headingley is the busiest and noisyest part of Leeds mon-fri until about 5am due to its huge student population.

Autobarn wrote: ↑27 May 2021, 06:01 You can imagine Warrington is able to box better than he did. He traded with a Mexican and left himself open to power punches, which is a terrible mistake. Remember Ricky Burns and Paul Hodkinson, making the same errors? Jamie McDonnell had the right strategy, box then pick the right moment to trade, later on; and obviously Josh Taylor gave a magnificent recent example, but he’s just exceptional.

It was a while since I saw the Warrington v Lara fight, and I can’t remember if Josh was wide open to the left hook or was it an unorthodox right hand? But he made the same mistake the entire fight and was clipped continually.

You’d think a disciplined performance would serve him far better. He obviously has been given a painful lesson that he can’t go through everyone. If he hasn’t been broken by the defeat, we could see a great fight - or a memorable win.

ya i agree, for me it's a lot like aj-ruiz, where you had the better boxer getting hurt early, and that basically affected everything that followed. people said 'it wasnt just 1 shot, he battered him all fight', but that's totally ignoring that what happened with that early shot then changed the rest of the fight

i think he can box a lot better than he did, and it will be a totally different fight if he doesnt get scrambled like that

Looks like the rematch is confirmed for Headingley.

I don’t know whether Lara will just be Josh’s bogeyman here. People saying ‘just box more’ but Lara was relentless and can hit hard and it’s not easy to control any fighter like that with jabs, ect. Warrington will eventually be dragged into a slugfest… even if he wins the first 3/4 rounds.
If the same Lara comes along again then I can see Josh getting stopped earlier. If he gets hurt early… he now knows that Lara will just keep coming. That’s just mentality depressing for anyone.
Lara RSC 6.

Featherweights Mauricio Lara and Josh Warrington will meet in rematch on Sept. 4, sources say

Mauricio Lara and Josh Warrington will meet in a featherweight rematch Sept. 4 at Headingley Stadium in Leeds, England, sources tell ESPN.

The bout will be streamed worldwide on DAZN, with Katie Taylor defending her undisputed lightweight championship in the chief-support bout, in an event promoted by Matchroom Sport's Eddie Hearn.

When Lara and Warrington met in February, the bout was viewed as a stay-busy fight for Warrington, ESPN's No. 1 featherweight at the time. Warrington relinquished his IBF title in advance of the fight, he said, to focus on a big opportunity -- a title fight against Xu Can -- rather than a mandated rematch with Kid Galahad.

That opportunity never came. Instead, Lara shocked Warrington, battering him from the opening bell and scoring knockdowns in the fourth and ninth rounds en route to a stoppage later in that frame.

Lara's victory is the front-runner for upset-of-the-year honors and was recognized as the biggest boxing surprise this year in ESPN's midyear awards. After all, Warrington was a 25-1 favorite; Lara was a lightly regarded brawler from Mexico.

Instead, Warrington received a brutal beatdown, the kind of fight that often leaves lasting effects on the loser. But Warrington insisted on the immediate rematch and will look to exact revenge in his hometown of Leeds before an expected sellout crowd of 20,000-plus.

"Obviously, I'm hurting inside," Warrington said days after the defeat. "I've lost my unbeaten record. That's something I have treasured and it is a dent. Anyone who knows me can tell you I stand proud.

"Good luck to Mauricio Lara, who is a serious opponent for anybody. He is heavy-handed and holds power that will trouble any featherweight. Will we meet again in a boxing ring? Who knows. We only fought a couple of days ago. But if the chance comes I will jump at it."

Lara (22-2, 15 KOs) is now ESPN's No. 4-rated fighter at 126 pounds, with Warrington one slot behind him at No. 5. Another win and Lara will be well positioned for a high-stakes showdown with fellow Mexican Emanuel Navarette.

Warrington (30-1, 7 KOs) was building an impressive résumé at featherweight before the setback. The 30-year-old racked up victories over Carl Frampton, Galahad and Lee Selby, all top-10 fighters. Warrington was also in talks to fight Shakur Stevenson at one juncture.

But now, he desperately needs a win over Lara if he hopes to regain that status as not just one of the best fighters in the world, but one of the fastest-rising attractions in the U.K.

"I think Josh Warrington needed to know that this fight wasn't going to be easy," Lara, 23, said in his postfight comments. "He shouldn't have been making plans for future fights."

Warrington surely knows now. And he won't be the only draw on the card as Irish star Katie Taylor (18-0, 6 KOs) will defend her undisputed 135-pound championship in the chief-support bout. The Olympic gold medalist topped Natasha Jonas in May via unanimous decision.

The Sept. 4 event figures to be the highest-profile card of Hearn's new exclusive partnership with DAZN in the U.K., a five-year deal that begins later this month.

Dioufy wrote: ↑05 Jul 2021, 05:01 I don’t know whether Lara will just be Josh’s bogeyman here. People saying ‘just box more’ but Lara was relentless and can hit hard and it’s not easy to control any fighter like that with jabs, ect. Warrington will eventually be dragged into a slugfest… even if he wins the first 3/4 rounds.
If the same Lara comes along again then I can see Josh getting stopped earlier. If he gets hurt early… he now knows that Lara will just keep coming. That’s just mentality depressing for anyone.
Lara RSC 6.

I think Lara has Warrington's number.

I don't mind Josh, but I don't think it was 'no crowd' that didn't help.

If Lara does it again, he should get a shot at the winner of Galahad-Dickens..

Lara took some heavy punishment too in the fight, so I don't rule out Warrington making a start like he did against Frampton to try and win the fight early.

garethhop wrote: ↑05 Jul 2021, 05:24 Lara took some heavy punishment too in the fight, so I don't rule out Warrington making a start like he did against Frampton to try and win the fight early.

I agree. I suggest Josh stands in front of him and bangs him out. Easier said than done, but I can’t see how Warrington can not keep Lara off him.

josh will beat him

for me it's like aj-ruiz

people say 'oh it wasnt just 1 shot, no lucky shot, he was giving it to him all fight', but reality is that the one guy got hurt early and that compromised everything he did from then on

josh has more tools and can get it done, think he wiill

So Lara will come into the ring as a light heavyweight?
Nah, it’s nothing like Ruiz/Joshua for me.
Lara is hungry…. Ruiz is just more hungrier…

I wish Warrington all the best, but this rematch has bad news written all over it.

Dioufy wrote: ↑05 Jul 2021, 05:35 So Lara will come into the ring as a light heavyweight?
Nah, it’s nothing like Ruiz/Joshua for me.
Lara is hungry…. Ruiz is just more hungrier…

Yeh, Ruiz won the world title, achieved his dream.

Lara beat the champion, but never won the title.

He knows another win, he'll be one step closer..

I understand Mags though, Josh can do things differently.

But he's gonna stand toe to toe again..

Anyone can catch anyone.

Lara was remdining me of a mini GGG, he even looks like him.

Josh can deffo win.. it’s 60:40 for me Lara though.

of course it's similar, big fave hurt early and never really gets over it, but shows flashes of being able to have success and score well

like aj-ruiz, ppl saying 'oh he's got his number' 'oh this will finish him' 'oh, cant see it going any other way'

and theyre both joshsters

josh will win.......just like josh did.

Now confirmed for Headingley on September 4th.

The announced fights for the undercard are:

Katie Taylor vs Jennifer Han (former IBF featherweight champ but I think is one of Katie’s mandatories).

Straffon vs Maxi Hughes - given how Straffon walked through Gervonta Tennyson I think this is a really good fight.

Press Release

Mauricio Lara and Josh Warrington will rematch in an epic showdown at Emerald Headingley Stadium on Saturday September 4, live worldwide on DAZN. The co-main event will also feature undisputed Lightweight World Champion Katie Taylor, who puts all her belts on the line against IBF Mandatory Challenger Jennifer Han.

‘The Leeds Warrior’ (30-1, 7 KOs) was floored and ruthlessly finished by Mexico’s Lara (22-2, 15 KOs) in a sensational knockout loss at The SSE Arena, Wembley in February that put a massive dent in the former IBF Featherweight World Champion’s unification plans.

Warrington endured a stunning upset defeat as he was dropped and nearly stopped in the fourth round before ‘Bronco’ sent him crashing to the canvas again in the ninth to end the 30-year-old’s unbeaten record.

The upset-of-the-year contender sent shockwaves through the 126lbs division and now Warrington will look to exact revenge in front of a capacity crowd at the home of the Leeds Rhinos in the biggest fight of his career.

Undisputed Lightweight ruler Taylor (18-0, 6 KOs) defends her WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine crowns against her latest Mandatory Challenger Han (18-3-1, 1 KOs) in the co-main event, another huge stage for the best in women’s boxing.

The Irish star was forced to dig deep as she retained her World Titles via a unanimous decision victory after another memorable meeting with Natasha Jonas last time out at Manchester Arena in May – nine years on from their London 2012 Olympic Games bout.

Han, a six-time national amateur champion fighting out of El Paso, Texas, won the vacant IBF Featherweight World Title against Helen Joseph in September 2015 and went on to make four defences of her Title – most recently against Lizbeth Crespo in February 2018.

“I’ve never been much of a talker, I’d rather do my talking in the ring,” said Lara. “I’m going for a repeat performance on September 4. Hit once, hit twice. Warrington should know that I am coming for him. This is all about pride. This is for Mexico!”

“It’s been an up and down period, time for reflection and to reassess myself," said Warrington. “I’ve watched the first fight a dozen times, I’m mentally and physically prepared for Mauricio. It won’t be the same result, I want revenge. It’s going to be a huge event in Leeds, I can’t wait to get back in there and rewrite the script. It’s nothing personal, just business. September 4th we get back on track to the top.”

“I’m really excited to defend my Titles in front of a live crowd again and especially in Leeds,” said Taylor. “I grew up as a Leeds United fan so it’s fantastic to see them back in the Premier League and doing so well again.

“My last few fights have effectively been behind closed door and it’s definitely a strange experience so I think to have crowds back again and outdoors in Leeds will make for a very special atmosphere. I’m back in the US in training camp, working hard and focused on putting in another big performance against a tough and experienced opponent on September 4.”

“I want to thank Katie for this opportunity,” said Han. “Enjoy your belts while you still have them. I will see you in September.”

Fresh from his devastating first round demolition job on James Tennyson, Mexico’s Jovanni Straffon (24-3-1, 17 KOs) will make the first defence of his IBO Lightweight World Title against the in-form Maxi Hughes (23-5-2, 5 KOs).

‘Impacto’ dropped and stopped Belfast’s Tennyson in a powerful performance at Manchester Arena in May to become the latest Mexican to spring an upset against British opposition in the UK.

‘Maximus’ is relishing his new lease of life after picking up incredible wins over former World Title challenger Jono Carroll, previously undefeated Kazakh talent Viktor Kotochigov and Paul Hyland Jr to earn the British Lightweight Title in March.

The full supporting undercard will be announced shortly.

“What better way to celebrate the return to normality for boxing than 20,000 passionate Leeds fans at Headingley Stadium. This is the biggest fight of Josh Warrington’s career and this time he has his city behind him in a must win fight that can only be a thriller,” said Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Sport Chairman. “The greatest female fighter of all time Katie Taylor faces Mandatory Challenger Jennifer Han in another great fight. Katie is a lifelong Leeds United fan and I know how excited she is to fight in the city. Another Mexican upsetter Jovanni Straffon tries to derail the fairy tale story of Yorkshire’s Maxi Hughes who looks to take a giant leap in the World Lightweight landscape. There’s plenty more additions to be announced shortly in what will be a huge night of boxing live on DAZN.”

“Our game-changing global partnership with Matchroom has kicked off with an epic line-up, starting with Fight Camp – an unmissable summer of boxing based at the stunning Matchroom HQ in Brentwood, and leading into this huge double-header event. With many surprises still to come for the months ahead, this cements DAZN as the global home of boxing,” said Joseph Markowski, EVP at DAZN Group.

Tickets are priced £40, £60, £80, £100, £150 and £300 VIP and are available via StubHub to Fight Pass members on Thursday July 15 and on General Sale on Friday July 16 (both at Midday)

Pugilist-specialist wrote: ↑24 Apr 2021, 11:06

maverick23 wrote: ↑24 Apr 2021, 08:08

What do you think Eddie should do? Put Josh in an 8 rounder against a non puncher?

He could have got him in a world title fight against his mandatory.

Do you think Eddie preferred an unknown Mexican vs a Brit in a non world title fight over a domestic world title fight with 2 boxers who dislike each other?

maverick23 wrote: ↑14 Jul 2021, 09:28
Straffon vs Maxi Hughes - given how Straffon walked through Gervonta Tennyson I think this is a really good fight.

Glad to see Maxi get a good opportunity on a DAZN show after his recent resurgence/run of form.

If Josh doesn't rematch Lara he'd get as much stick as Khan got for not rematching Prescott, well nearly. He seems a very proud man and wouldn't like that hanging over his head. Big respect to him for taking the rematch when plenty wouldn't.

Saying that I favour Lara in the rematch but hope I'm wrong.