FRANKIE GAVIN saw a nightmare completed when he suffered a knockout loss to Kerman Lejarraga at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre on Saturday (November 17).
He lost his shot at the European welterweight title the day before on the scales when he came in more than four pounds over the limit, weighing in at 151¼lbs.
Issues with making weight have plagued Gavin throughout his career. But despite the disrupted build up to the fight, Gavin tried to put his skills to work to outbox the strong Spaniard. He picked out openings to set up his southpaw left.
Frankie boxed well over the opening two rounds, managing to look sharp. But Lejarraga steamed in, hooking heavy right hooks into Gavin’s body. Frankie heaved left uppercuts in and lashed in his right hook, stepping back from the Spaniard’s attacks.
Lejarraga broke through in the fourth round, swarming all over the Birmingham, his punches now catching Gavin. Hooks to the head hurt Frankie. He staggered back into the ropes as Kerman continued to hammer him with punches. He drew Gavin into fighting on the inside. Lejarraga was hurting the Briton. Even as Gavin gamely held his feet and fired off combinations, eventually Kerman swept a left hook into Frankie’s body, knocking him off his feet and stopping Gavin with two seconds left in the fourth round.
Despite his gallant effort, this will be a hard loss for Gavin to come back from.
