The Josh Warrington-Mauricio Lara 2 matchup was important for both men. Warrington wanted to avenge the only loss of his career and prove that he had an off night the first time around. Lara was looking forward to showing his victory was not a fluke and that he belongs with the best fighters in the featherweight division.
Warrington got the better of the action in the first round. But an unintentional clash of heads in the second round meant neither fighter would prove their point last Saturday night.
Cornermen for Mauricio Lara worked unsuccessfully to stop the blood flow from a cut over his left eye. The official ruling became a technical draw when referee Steve Gray decided the fight could not go on. The decision becomes necessary when an accidental headbutt ends a boxing match before the end of round four.
“I am confused,” Josh Warrington showed his disappointment following the contest. “I felt I could burst into tears when the ref waved it off.”
Mauricio Lara shook up the boxing world in February with a ninth-round upset TKO victory over Warrington. Lara was set in the role of a “stay busy” opponent and not given much chance to defeat the then-undefeated Warrington.
Josh Warrington-Mauricio Lara 2 was heating up nicely before the headbutt. The two fighters and the fans that support them can only hope Josh Warrington-Mauricio Lara 3 will soon be in the works.
Katie Taylor made a successful defense of her lightweight title against Jennifer Han on the undercard. Taylor won all ten rounds on all three scorecards to run her record to 19-0.
Welterweight contender Conor Benn also earned his 19th victory on the Warrington-Lara undercard. Benn won a unanimous decision victory over Adrien Granados but did not appreciate the survival tactics he says Granados used. “It was frustrating,” Benn explains. “I wanted to go toe to toe.”