By: Hans Themistode
Josh Warrington was in search of big fights. So much so that instead of facing his mandatory in Kid Galahad, Warrington took his IBF world title and threw it directly in the trash.
Warrington figured he was better off without. All he needed to do was loosen up his joints against fringe contender Mauricio Lara before facing bigger names.
However, Lara had other ideas.
After getting noticeably buzzed in the early rounds, Lara shook off the shots of Warrington and found a bit of success as the fight progressed. Round four turned out to be the turning point of the fight as Lara dropped his man hard.
Warrington, to his credit, bounced back to his feet and convinced referee Howard Foster that he was alright. While he was convincing enough to continue, he was still visibly shook up.
Lara pressed forward in an attempt to close the show but found himself up against the clock as the seconds expired.
As Warrington sat in his corner to gather himself, he somehow got his second win. For much of the fight, his chin held up well as he took hard blows right on the button. Warrington though, landed a few of his own and seemed to gain the respect of his man in the process.
While most of the rounds were tit for tat, Lara was clearly gaining the edge. In the ninth, and ultimately final round, Lara floored Warrington yet again. This time around, the former world champion wasn’t given any time to clear his head as the referee waved off their contest, handing Warrington the first defeat of his career.