PROMOTER Frank Warren has vowed Liam Walsh will recover from the first defeat of his career after he was stopped in three rounds by IBF super-featherweight champion Gervonta Davis.
The 31-year-old had little answer to the consistent speed and accuracy demonstrated by Floyd Mayweatherโs protege and was knocked down in the third round by a hurtful left hand.
He returned to his feet after a count of nine but remained unsteady and unable to defend himself amid Davisโ next assault, forcing referee Michael Alexander to end the fight despite his protests.
Great atmosphere, real shame about the result, but Liam will come again!https://t.co/o9BDkm1ykS
โ Frank Warren (@frankwarren_tv) May 21, 2017
As well as his first world-title fight, Walsh lost for the first time as a professional, but he has long appeared ready for world level even if an opponent of Davisโ class proved beyond him.
Much of Warrenโs reputation owes to his ability to match his fighters, and he cited his work in rebuilding Amir Khanโs reputation after his first defeat as reason to believe Walsh will return.
โIt wasnโt as bad as when Amir Khan got knocked out (in 2008 by Breidis Prescott) in the first round and got done,โ said Warren, 65. โHe wasnโt bashed up, was he? He just got caught and that was it.
โHe was disappointed the referee stopped it; he felt he stopped it prematurely, but thatโs boxing.
โLiam should take a break, itโs not like he took a hiding or anything; he got caught with good shots. Heโs a quality figher, he got his tactics wrong. He was doing a lot of feinting; he should have been letting his shots go, but it didnโt happen. Heโll come again.
โWhen guys come over here, have got the crowd against them, youโve got to jump on them at the start, but they had their tactics, I think to come good in the second half of the fight. With me in these fights every round should be the last. You go out to win every round, canโt give nothing away.
โ(Davis) certainly looks a better fighter than I thought he was; thereโs no doubt about that. Heโs a quality fighter, came into the lionโs den, wasnโt fazed, and all those things say a lot about a fighter.
โTo come over and do what he did; youโve got to take all that into account, and heโs a young man. Heโll get involved in some seriously big fights down the road.โ
Americaโs Davis, 22, furthered his reputation as a fighter of potentially the highest calibre with his latest clinical performance.
His promoter and mentor Mayweather โ expected to return later this year to fight Conor McGregor โ insists โheโs not even 100 per centโ, and his influence could be seen in the way Davis spoke to Walsh during their fight.
โI was telling him โHeโs too slowโ,โ said Davis, from Baltimore. โI took my time, I thought he was going to hold up a few rounds. I fed off the crowd.โ
Still young and learning. Thank you all for supporting me it means a lot!
โ Gervonta Davis (@Gervontaa) May 21, 2017
The 40-year-old Mayweather added: โHe has to be one of the most exciting boxers. Heโs not even 100 percent, he can only get better. Now youโre the main event and the main attraction. We have to take our time.
โWeโre not going to rush him. Everything is a process, heโs still young and learning.โ