Mauricio Lara has explained he spat at Josh Warrington because it is ‘personal’ between the two, also vowing to retire his rival from boxing.
The Mexican once again travelled to the UK to put on a show-stopping performance against Leigh Wood in Nottingham on Saturday, knocking out the hometown fighter in the seventh round to win the WBA featherweight title.
Lara came to Leeds in 2021 to stun Warrington in another devastating stoppage win with the their rematch six months later deemed a no contest after a nasty clash of heads.
Warrington was ringside on Saturday and was involved in a wild exchange with the new champion after the fight with security and members of the respective teams forced to intervene.
The Briton revealed after the melee he had been spat at with Lara making no secret of that fact in post-fight interviews.
‘Asked if he had spat at Warrington, a smiling Lara told ID Boxing: ‘Of course, it is very, very personal with Josh Warrington, I am really, really angry with him.’
He added in an interview with Boxing Social: ‘There was a clash there, we got face to face, it is very, very personal with us and I want to retire him from boxing.’
While there is a rematch clause giving Wood the opportunity to reclaim the title he lost, a trilogy fight between Lara and Warrington is now a tantalising prospect with the Leeds fighter immediately shifting his focus to settle the score.
‘As soon as the fight was waved off, he looks over and sees me,’ Warrington said.
‘I actually thought he was looking over at me a few times during the fight.
‘He pretends to get out and go forward then he spat at me. I can have a little bit of pantomime, shouting and screaming at each other, but as soon as you spit at me I’m not having it.
‘He was pretending to get around the ring, screaming and shouting, then he spat at me. For me, that’s the lowest of lows the dirty b*****d.
‘I want that third fight more than anything but I did also say to Leigh Wood that I’ll give him the opportunity. I wasn’t going to train until Monday but now I’ll be in the gym tomorrow.’
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