Josh Warrington wants Mauricio Lara disciplined for spitting on him

By Boxing News - 02/23/2023 - Comments

By Sam Volz: Josh Warrington wants newly crowned WBA featherweight champion Mauricio Lara punished & fined after he spat on him last Saturday night after his victory over Leigh Wood in Nottingham, England.

It’s unknown what type of punishment Warrington wants for Lara besides a fine. If Warrington is hoping the BBBofC will rule that Lara can’t fight in the UK for a certain period, that would also hurt Josh because he’s hoping to fight him next.

Warrington won’t be able to do that if the British Boxing Board of Control prevents Lara from fighting in the UK for the next six to twelve months. That would work against Warrington if Lara is prevented from fighting in the UK because a fight between them won’t sell in the U.S. or Mexico.

Americans have no idea who Warrington is, and the referees over there might disqualify him if he repeatedly head-butts Lara.

If they don’t disqualify Warrington, they could penalize him because they would be told to watch for head-butting by Lara’s team ahead of time and would have the Leeds native on a short leash. That’s why Warrington shouldn’t be in a mad hurry to have Lara punished by the BBBofC for spitting because it could impact his ability to fight in the UK.

Lara (26-2-1, 19 KOs) was unapologetic about his spitting episode when interviewed afterward and seemed almost proud of what he’d done to the former IBF featherweight champion Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KOs).

I consider that to be the lowest of the low. It’s worse than being sucker-punched. It’s really degrading. It’s disgusting,” said Josh Warrington to ESPN about being spat on by Mauricio Lara Saturday night in Nottingham.

YouTube video

Some would argue that Warrington’s head-butting is far, far worse than spitting. The cut that Lara suffered in his rematch with Warrington in 2021 prevented him from potentially knocking him out a second time and fighting IBF champion Kiko Martinez.

Instead of Lara taking Warrington’s scalp for a second time, he wound up with a technical draw and didn’t fight for a title at all in 2022. Being head-butted by Warrington arguably cost Lara a lot of money, which some would say is far worse than being spit on.

“Sometimes when you go forward fighting, and you’re looking for quick attacks, heads clash, and it’s just coincidence, but I never meant for that to happen.

Warrington is a potential option for Lara’s next fight if Wood (26-3, 16 KOs) chooses to delay using his rematch clause. In that case, Warrington will be next for Lara if he chooses to give him a title shot.

It’ll be up to Lara if he wants to give Warrington a title shot because he’s done nothing to earn it. The Leeds native is coming off a 12 round majority decision loss to Luis Alberto Lopez last December, and Lara has already beaten him.

If Lara saw Warrington’s last two fights against Luis Lopez and Kiko Martinez, he might want to reconsider giving him a title shot because he collided heads frequently in both of those contests.

Kiko was badly cut, and Lopez was furious with the head-butting, rabbit punching, and getting punched on the backside by Warrington.

In the Warrington-Lara rematch in September 2021 in Leeds, Warrington repeatedly head-butted him until Lara was badly cut over his right eye, causing the fight to be stopped and ruled a second round technical draw. Many people felt that Warrington intentionally head-butted Lara to prevent him from knocking him out a second time.

“I got a loss and a draw; I need to get that win over him,” said Warrington about his two fights with Lara.  “He was down on the cards, and he was getting outboxed. I think he got exposed as a basic boxer, but he does have heavy hands.”