Perhaps we should remember the business part and be more understanding on occasion because a loss for doing the "right thing" for boxing can be devastating for the business of dollars in the wallet.
Josh Warrington vacated his IBF featherweight title rather than fight a rematch that no one wanted to see other than the IBF against fellow Briton Kid Galahad and pursue bigger fights with WBC champion Gary Russell and minor beltholder Xu Can.
Therefore, Warrington's scheduled title defense against unheralded Mauricio Lara moved forward as planned, only without a championship to fight for and as a showcase for Warrington as he returned to action and back on the minds of fight fans.
Warrington did the 'right thing' for boxing rather than fight a rematch and he did the "right thing" by trying to stay active along with allowing Lara to keep the largest payday of his career.
And it all turned out "wrong" as Lara pounded Warrington, knocked him down in the fourth round, and had him hurt badly enough that the fight should have been stopped at that point, but the dead game Warrington gave all he had to continue, even using referee Howard Carson as a pinball bumper to bounce his way back to his corner.
Warrington had his share of punches landed as the right side of Lara's face can attest, but his legs never recovered and Lara was well ahead on my scorecard (78-73) entering the ninth.
It didn't take long for Lara to end the fight in the ninth as he worked over Warrington to the body and then knocked him cold with a left hook.
Mike Coppinger of the Athletic reports there is a rematch clause, but I'm not sure Warrington can change the result- Warrington is a pressure fighter without a lot of power and when he faces a fighter that he can't back down and can hit him with power as he attempts to pressure, it's going to be a tough evening.
Lara's win was a stunning upset because he was an unknown quantity- he won't be for a rematch.
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