Stunned Armour:I won't same errors again
Published: 00:00, 07 July 2003
Updated: 09:34, 07 July 2003
CHATHAM boxer Johnny Armour is planning a revenge mission if he gets the chance to fight the new WBU bantamweight champion Nathan Sting again.
The former champ was well beaten in the third defence of his title by the classy Australian who inflicted only his second ever defeat on him, his first at bantamweight.
Armour's team threw the towel in towards the end of the 11th round with Armour's face badly cut and swollen but has been assured he will get a re-match with classy Aussie and has vowed not to make the same mistakes again.
Speaking exclusively to the Medway Messenger, Armour lifted the lid on his preparations for the fight.
He said he looked “as if he'd come out of a concentration camp” as he had no fluid inside him when he attended the weigh in.
He scaled in 11 ounces over the 8st 6lb championship limit and had to endure 60 minutes of skipping and then was forced to jog in the sauna to shed the weight.
His managers have said they will get him back in the ring with Sting before the new year and Armour is determined get his world title back.
He said: “I've watched the tape and that wasn’t me in there. I said before I wasn’t happy with only having four weeks to prepare and of those, I only had two weeks with Mark (Roe).
“This kid isn’t in my league and when I get him in my peak condition I’ll be out to show him exactly whose champion.
“Terry Toole has told me that the contract has been written in such a way that they have to give me a re-match and that’s what I want.
“I know I can beat this kid but I have to dig deep and show myself and my fans that I can win the title back.
“The mark or a true champion is how they bounce and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Armour also hit back at those who suggested he should hang up his gloves at the age of 34.
“A couple of people asked if I should quit but I've not going to retire after one bad night,” he added.
“Lennox Lewis got knocked out before then he came back and looked better than ever and that's what I'm going to do.
“Sometimes you have a bad night but I know how I felt out there. I felt so weak and at times I felt like I was going to faint.
“I know I can do the job and there’ll be no mistakes next time because I really want to show everybody what I can do.
“This might be my last chance and I'm going to grab it with both hands.”
Speaking after the fight, the new champ was full of praise for Armour. He said: "Johnny was definitely a worthy champion. I have the utmost for him. He has been there and done it and he’s a great fighter.”
“I’m over the moon with winning the title. It’ll take me a while to get down from the clouds.
“Me and my trainer Les Wilson having been working on things since March, working on technique and throwing shots from different angles because that’s the only way I was going to beat him and the plan worked perfectly."
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KentOnline reporter