Thaxton to fight on

EDP24 - Jonathon Redhead2nd March, 2009

Norwich boxer Jon Thaxton insists he could still get a world title shot, despite the stunning defeat which cost him his EBU European lightweight title.

Ultimately, Anthony Mezaache won by a unanimous points decision after a stirring battle at the Norfolk Showground, but only after a piece of calculated gamesmanship in the opening round kept him in the contest.

The hometown boy had Mezaache on the canvas in the last of the first three minutes, with a huge right hook which caught the challenger on the ear.

After struggling back to his feet following the mandatory eight count, Mezaache deliberately spat out his gumshield to buy some more recovery time. Although he was penalised with a point deduction, it cleared his head and he grew in confidence as both men went toe-to-toe in front of a noisy partisan crowd, with a sensational 10th round the highlight as both men landed huge shots.

But after the disappointment of defeat, a badly cut Thaxton said he was far from calling time on his fantastic career and still harbours hopes of bouncing back for an attempt on a world crown.

"I'm a warrior - the Cinderella story goes on," he said. "Look at Amir Khan. He got banged up by (Breidis) Prescott, he's now got a world title eliminator one fight later.

"Sometimes things like this can open doors for you. Sometimes you can be too dangerous for your own good. I'll just see what (promoter) Mick Hennessy has. Maybe I fought the wrong fight on the night. But that's life. I'm going to have a couple of weeks off and then it's back into the gym."

The 34-year-old played down suggestions he might retire after 17 years in the paid ranks, saying: "Of course not. I've got three ambitions in boxing. I want my Lonsdale belt, I want to fight in Las Vegas and I want a world title fight.

"Will I win a world title? Well it's a long way off now. Will I fight in Las Vegas? Well possibly. Will I win my Lonsdale belt outright? Definitely.

"There's still a little bit of a journey for the Cinderella Man."

Although he did not argue with the judges' decision, Thaxton was sure he did enough to retain his belt, especially after the opening round.

"The first round I had him out on his feet and he spat his gumshield out, and it's the oldest trick in the book. The fight could have been over then," Thaxton said. "But I think when he felt my power, he kept running away and I can't see how you can take my title by running away, but, he did.

"He done the job. I felt I nicked it, but the bottom line is it was a hell of a fight and the judges gave it to him.

"That's how it goes. Any complaints? Well, yeah, I thought I won the fight but the judges think otherwise so you can't argue.

"He was very durable and had done his homework. I felt I was stronger, and the thing is, I think the mistake I made was I hit him in the first round and he felt my power and with that it was hard to get a clean shot on him.

"It was very hard, he was moving all the time, but I still felt I won the fight. That's how it goes. The judges didn't so there you go."

After recovering from his opening round disaster, Mezaache proved an extremely awkward customer.

By round three he had started to break down the Thaxton defence and caught the champion with a big left hand.

It was nearly worse for the Norwich man in the fifth round when another left from Mezaache rocked Thaxton to his haunches, but he managed to retain his balance and his composure to avoid hitting the canvas.

By the ninth round, with both men looking fatigued, a bad-looking cut opened on Thaxton's left cheek as the bout became a thrilling slugfest.

The 10th round was awesome as both men refused to give in, and the crowd upped the volume for the final two rounds, but it was not enough to fire Thaxton towards the knock down he needed.

Thaxton's trainer Graham Everett paid tribute to both men after the fight, but said the result had hinged on Mezaache's shenanigans in the first round.

"Tiny little things happen which can change everything," he said. "Mezaache got flattened by Jon in the first round. He got up and had just enough sense in him to spit out his gumshield out which, I was told, was a 44-second break. That saved him.

"Everybody knows that when someone's badly hurt Jon doesn't let them off the hook. Well done to him for the professionalism.

"It was an absolutely great fight, and I'm proud to be a part of it. It's a classic cliché but in many ways it's a pity there had to be a loser.

"Credit to both of them and credit to the fans for getting behind Jon they were absolutely fantastic as well. That atmosphere took some beating.

"He was a horrible awkward opponent, with a tough chin and you can see why he has never been stopped."

Everett said Thaxton would now have a couple of weeks off, before deciding where his career will go next.

"Let his bruises go down and see where we go," he said. "With someone like Jon there are always options. There's the possibility of a re-match. But the main thing is whatever we do, Jon's going to want to come back and do it."