Due to an early clash of heads, the world was left without answers as to whether Josh Warrington could redeem himself or if Mauricio Lara would repeat against the former champion.
In Leeds, Warrington and Lara fought to a technical draw after two rounds. A huge gash on Lara's eyebrow following an accidental clashing of the heads forced the referee to call the fight early. Since it didn't go a full four rounds, it was given the technical draw result.
"The cut was absolutely horrendous," Eddie Hearn stated following the fight, (h/t DAZN). "You could tell Lara was looking for a way to keep fighting, but the doctor determined that the cut was from the beginning of the eyelid to the end. I wanted to see more rounds, but unfortunately, something like that had never happened to me before. It was shaping up to be a great fight."
The fight started hot right away, with Warrington and Lara both looking to hit hard against one another. Warrington looked a lot more focused and patient compared to their last fight earlier in the year. He would land calculating body shots and would trade uppercuts with Lara. Lara would land hooks and focused on the body. Warrington would end up landing a sneaky left hook towards the end of the round.
Round two started with jabs by Warrington. Lara attempted to switch it up by going towards the head of his opponent. Combination shots were landing by Lara, and then the two clashed heads. Not knowing how bad the cut above Lara's eye would get at that point, the two continued to fight.
That eye though… -- #LaraWarringٍton2 pic.twitter.com/UKCNKxfvP1
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) September 4, 2021
Both would trade uppercut, hook, and body shots to the delight of the crowd. Warrington attempted to tighten his defense as Lara was gaining momentum. The fans were ready for an exciting third round. Unfortunately, the cut on Lara's eyebrow only got worse, as it was stretched out to the point that not much could be done to protect it.
The referee would stop the fight, and both Lara and Warrington were as frustrated as the fans were.
Josh Warrington apologizes to the Leeds crowd -- pic.twitter.com/fJazMnEzJz
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 4, 2021
After the fight, Warrington discussed his disappointment in the result.
"I'm absolutely gutted," Warrington stated.
The former IBF Featherweight Champion worked hard to come back after Lara pulled off the ultimate upset back in February when he beat Warrington via TKO. He would be interested in a third fight with Lara, who hasn't lost a fight since 2018.
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