Promising Liverpool prospect Ryan Farrag will have to go back to the drawing board and reevaluate his career, after a crushing defeat at the hands of Frenchman Karim Guerfi at the Echo Arena, in his home city on Saturday night. – Watch the fight above.
Farrag, 28, was defending the European bantamweight title he claimed last year against Belgium’s Stephane Jamoye. He started the fight well in the first round and landed some good shots. But the tough Guerfi stood his ground and fired back, clipping the champion with his own dangerous looking hooks and right hands.
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The second round and the contest really came to light. Both having offensive success, they were equally guilty of defensive lapses and both getting caught flush by the other. It was one of them fights where, every-time they got into range and unloaded, you felt either were going to kop an unfortunate one and hit the deck, unfortunately for the home contingent that was to be Farrag.
In the third round the fight was turned up another notch and like the previous one they traded shots and the styles of each blended to make it a compelling battle. And then the end came to this barnstormer. Farrago (15-2, 4KOs) again got through his own hurtful digs in the round, but when he was backed up to the ropes by Guerfi the signs didn’t looked good. The challenger unleashed a combination that Farrag did his best to block and cover the shots with his back on the ropes, but a perfectly placed left hook from Guerfi (23-3, 7KOs) caught the Scouser flush in-front of his right glove and dropped him face first to the canvas.
It was a shot that may have kept many down for a count longer than ten, but bravely and half confused Farrag managed to get to his feet. He was too groggy and dazed to consider taking a count of eight on his knee and when he rose on unsteady legs and stumbled into the corner facing away from the ref, it was over. The Italian official called an halt to Farrag’s European reign at 2:03 of the round.
Farrag did look relaxed and was boxing well, but it did appear he may have taken his challenger lighter than he should have done. – He is good enough to come back from this and get back into European title contention again.
Farrag took his defeat well admitting afterwards that Guerfi had taught him a lesson, but promised to learn and come back from the defeat.
Fair play to guerfi he taught me a valuable lesson in boxing last night
I will learn from it and come back, thanks for all the support X— ryan farrag (@ryanfarrag88) June 5, 2016
