Adam Booth and Johnny Nelson criticise referee’s decision not to stop Josh Warrington’s shock defeat to Mauricio Lara after fourth round knockdown and that the Leeds Warrior ‘did not know where he was’
- Josh Warrington suffered a shock defeat to unknown prodigy Mauricio Lara
- Lara, 22, floored Warrington in round four before winning in the ninth round
- It is the 30-year-old’s first defeat after 30 undefeated career fights previously
- Johnny Nelson and Adam Booth claimed the fight should have ended in round 4
Boxing pundits Adam Booth and Johnny Nelson have criticised the decision not to stop Josh Warrington’s fight with Mauricio Lara during the fourth round of his shock defeat.
The 30-year-old undefeated featherweight was floored in round four by his previously-unknown Mexican rival before suffering a damaging knockout in round nine of Warrington’s first fight in 16 months.
After the fight, both Booth and Nelson said the fight shouldn’t have been allowed to go past round four, and that the Leeds Warrior ‘did not know where he was’ from that point.
Josh Warrington suffered a shock ninth round knockout defeat to Mexican Mauricio Lara
Boxing pundits Adam Booth and Johnny Nelson felt the fight should have stopped earlier
Boxing trainer Booth, said: ‘I would have stopped the fight in the fourth round and I would have stopped the fight in the fifth round when he walked out. If I was in his corner I would have thrown the towel in.
‘You could see from his legs that he hadn’t recovered in the fifth round. He actually got caught with a heavy shot in the first round, there’s more discipline in round two and three but then with an unlimited heavy handed puncher, stooping his head up in the air trading (punches), he paid the price in the fourth round and I don’t think he knew what he was doing from that point on.
‘He didn’t look like he knew where he was and it looked like a knockout waiting to happen from that point on. I didn’t enjoy watching it I’m being honest because I don’t think it should have carried on.’
Nelson was concerned for Warrington and was adamant for him to be taken straight to a hospital after the fight.
Warrington was sent to hospital after the fight but doctors told Sky Sports that this was a precaution.
Nelson said: ‘The beating that he took in there we saw, that ages a fighter, that will affect a fighter in years to come.
‘Send him straight to hospital, get him checked out, let’s not just follow him around and hope he goes home and just has a bit of a headache.
‘Number two I’m a massive fan of the Boxing Board of Control but they had a stinker tonight.
Warrington was taken to hospital after the match according to doctors as a precaution
‘Because if this was the other way around and that was Lara put down in the fourth round, that fight would have been done.
‘I bet Josh Warrington can not remember anything past the first knockdown, that’s madness.’
He went on to add: ‘I love our sport but when I see fighters get hit like that I think ‘I can’t believe I am doing this for a living,’ because when the shots were landing there was no flow with the shot, it was a thudding shot.
‘So if you know guys like that get hit and get hit hard, they’re gonna get knocked out hard which is what we saw twice tonight.
‘Josh is a fit kid. And his success to this point has been his engine, pace and his power though that’s been underestimated.
‘But then when you come across somebody that’s got a hard shot and you walk straight into that, you’re gonna be found wanting and I am worried about this young man they desperately need to send him to hospital.’