Warrington vs Lara II: The Leeds Warrior battling back to the big time
In any sport, 16 months of inactivity is always likely to affect your form and sharpness.
But in boxing, such a long time away from the ring can be a disaster. Punches can lack timing and the legs can wobble at the sheer physical exertion required – anyone that has even sparred after time away will know exactly that feeling.
That’s not to say that Josh Warrington’s defeat to Mauricio Lara in February wasn’t a surprise, but most expected the former IBF strap holder to blast aside the Mexican.
But Lara came to London to fight and did he ever do that. A spiteful hook in the fourth round put Warrington on the canvas and, in truth, he never really recovered despite battling on to the ninth round in a style befitting of his Leeds Warrior nickname.
It was abundantly clear that time away from the ring had done Warrington no favours at all, and now the 30-year-old has been left to reflect on something of a crossroads in his career.
As for Lara, as you’d expect from a 23-year-old that has just become a world champion for the first time, he can’t wait to get back in the ring to defend his crown.
However, it might be a slightly different reception for the Mexican this time around. The rematch will take place at Headingley Stadium on September 4, just a matter of metres from Warrington’s home in Leeds, and with a full crowd likely to be in, it is sure to be a raucous atmosphere – and, perhaps, unchartered territory for Lara.
So can he once more dump Warrington on the canvas, or will the Englishman have his revenge on home soil?
The Underdog
Boxing is a sport primed for an underdog story, and there have been more upset victories in the ring than it’s possible to cover in a single article.
But make no mistake – Warrington’s demise was right up there with the ‘worst’ of them given that he started as a monumental 1/33 favourite with the bookies. In short, that means they could barely see a way for him to taste defeat.
For the rematch, betting sites like Space Casino have been a tad more circumspect with their odds, with Warrington the 10/17 favourite as of July 26 and Lara again the 5/4 underdog.
The difference-maker could well be the location of the fight. Warrington has enjoyed some of the finest nights of his career in his home city, defeating Kiko Martinez at Leeds Arena and going on to claim the IBF strap at Elland Road against Lee Selby. Subsequent defences against Kid Galahad and Sofiane Takoucht proved how tough the 30-year-old is going to be in front of his adoring home faithful.
For Lara, he will never have experienced an atmosphere like that which will be whipped up at Headingley – neither will he receive a ‘welcome’ as unsettling. He may sink or swim, and only time will tell.
As for Warrington, the defeat to the Mexican has served as something of a wake-up call. He has even admitted thoughts of retirement but is focused on redemption. “It’s been an up and down period, time for reflection and to reassess myself,” he told The Ring magazine. “It won’t be the same result, I want revenge. I can’t wait to get back in there and rewrite the script.”
Lara may have other ideas of course…