Josh Warrington has vowed to return to the ring after suffering the first loss of his boxing career.
The Leeds fighter was stopped in the ninth round by little-known Mexican Mauricio Lara in London on Saturday and reportedly suffered a fractured jaw.
Warrington – in his first fight since October 2019 – required oxygen immediately after the defeat but was able to walk out of the arena by himself before being taken to hospital for precautionary checks.
The 30-year-old provided an update on Sunday evening, but seemed eager to return to the ring and improve his record which now reads 30-1.
Thank you for all the well wishes, I’m back home with the family and recovering!
Big congratulations to Lara, that lad can punch.
The Warrior will return! #WarringtonLara
— Josh Warrington (@J_Warrington) February 14, 2021
He wrote on Twitter: “Thank you for all the well wishes, I’m back home with the family and recovering! Big congratulations to Lara, that lad can punch. The Warrior will return!”
The manner of his defeat led to questions about whether he should have been allowed to keep fighting.
Warrington appeared unsteady on his feet after being knocked down in the fourth round at the SSE Arena, Wembley.
Referee Howard John Foster eventually stopped the fight in the ninth round after Lara connected with a full-blooded one-two.
But Boxing pundits Adam Booth and Johnny Nelson both feel the stoppage came too late.
What a night of drama! Absolutely devastated for Josh, he will be back – congrats to Lara a young man that changed his life tonight. The greatest sport of all.
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) February 13, 2021
“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,” boxing trainer Booth told Sky Sports.
“If I was in his corner I would have thrown the towel in. You could see from his legs he hadn’t recovered in the fifth round. 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 enjoying watching if I’m honest because I don’t think it should have carried on.”
Former world cruiserweight champion Nelson added: “The beating that he took in there ages a fighter. That will affect a fighter in years to come.
“If this was the other way round and that was Lara put down in the fourth round that fight would have been done.
“I bet Josh Warrington cannot remember anything past the first knockdown – that’s madness. It was like he had no shock absorbers, so you know if guys get hit hard they are going to get knocked out hard.”
