Featherweight contender Mauricio ‘Bronco’ Lara 23-2 (16) says he is ready to “destroy” former world champion Josh ‘The Leeds Warrior’ Warrington 30-1 (7) when they meet for a second time at Emerald Headingley Stadium in Leeds, England on September 4.
The fight is a rematch of their February battle at Wembley Arena in London when the unheralded 23-year-old Mexican caused the boilover with a ninth-round knockout.
It was supposed to be a stay busy fight for the 30-year-old Warrington who had vacated his IBF belt with plans to fight then-WBA champion Can Xu.
Lara laid those plans to waste with his pressure and heavy hands, dropping Warrington once in the fourth and again in the ninth prior to the stoppage.
Warrington insist his first pro loss was an aberration, but Lara disagrees.
“Warrington said that I got lucky,” said Lara. “Believe me, there’s no luck in boxing. I’ve never won anything with luck. I won with hard work and a lot of discipline.
“Of course, since I beat him I feel I’m the champion. Like they say in my town, I’m a champion without a crown. It sounds nice and I think I’ve earned it with hard work. I want to be number one in the world and I’m going to achieve that.”
Warrington was riding high after victories over world champions Lee Selby and Carl Frampton and undefeated contender Kid Galahad in the past three years but seemed to have no answers for Lara’s pressure fighting style.
“I knew I had to win decisively in the first fight,” Lara said. “This time it will be different. I’ll win, but you’ll see a totally different Mauricio Lara. I’ll be a different person.
“I have more drive in this fight because Warrington has been saying a lot of things and he’ll regret it.
“We think he’s going to be very careful with his face and his jaw so we’ll watch out with his strategy. But believe me, it doesn’t matter what strategy he has because I’m coming to destroy him.
“I’m a very humble person. He won my respect in the first fight because he was number one in the world, but that’s no longer the case.
“He doesn’t respect me and he has said many things about my dad. He made a mistake, believe me. He met a friendly version of me and look what happened.
“I’m really happy because I know bigger fights are coming, better fighters. The number ones, that’s who I want. I want to be in that spot and I’m going to fight for that.
“It’s great that a promoter like Matchroom believes in me and is giving me that opportunity. I’ll fight whoever. I want all the belts at 126-pounds and I’m going to get them. On September 4, I’ll be mean and he won’t know what’s hit him.”
