Cranbourne’s Daniel ‘Porky’ Lovett is seeking a rematch with ‘Tiger’ Tim Bell after losing their Australian light-heavyweight fight at the Docklands on Sunday night. 12829 Picture: Luke PlummerBy Marc McGowan
CRANBOURNE boxer Daniel ‘Porky’ Lovett wants a rematch with Australian light-heavyweight champion ‘Tiger’ Tim Bell after losing their title bout at the Docklands on Sunday night.
Lovett’s trainer Jim Slatter threw in the towel just 15 seconds into the bout’s eighth round to end what experts are already touting as the Victorian fight of the year.
Lovett’s record fell to 17 wins and four losses, while Bell moved to 14 wins, five losses and one draw.
Bell, 29, inherited Lovett’s Pan Asian Boxing Association light heavyweight title and also the vacant Orient Pacific Boxing Federation light heavyweight belt.
Lovett, 25, was furious immediately after Slatter’s decision to end the fight, but now concedes it was the right move.
“I still think I was winning the fight when it was stopped, but, with the state I was in, I don’t think I was going to be too flash for too much longer,” Lovett said.
“I initially cracked the shits, and kicked and screamed for the first 10 seconds, but I know Jimmy wouldn’t do it for no reason and I trust Jimmy with all decisions to do with my boxing.”
Lovett endured an emotional lead-up to the title match.
He took a week off training last month to grieve the sudden death of his best friend, Matthew McEvoy, after an incident at a city nightclub.
A tribute to McEvoy, who attended all of Lovett’s fights, was broadcast on the night.
Lovett felt the break in his preparation was crucial to the result.
“I’m the one who made the decision to take the fight and I didn’t take the fight for the hell of it,” he said.
“I got back in the gym and it made me feel better about the whole thing.
“But there is a massive difference between being gym fit and fight fit, and that’s something I found out on the night.
“Looking back now, it was stupid of me to take the fight.”
Slatter also believes that McEvoy’s death was a critical factor.
“Porky boxed great for the first three rounds and Timmy was staggering at the end of each round, but as soon as he got off the stool he would bore straight back in,” Slatter said.
“Porky went through a really traumatic experience and was thinking ‘I’ll do it for Macca’ and gave it everything, then all of a sudden, psychologically, he just stopped.”
A Bell punch opened a small cut inside Lovett’s lip in the first round and the gash got progressively worse as the fight went on.
Slatter listed the cut – and the fact Lovett, whose family and friends have rallied around him since McEvoy’s death, was swallowing an excessive amount of blood – as one of the reasons he called the fight off.
“I had warned him if he took much more punishment that I would throw the towel in, and his father (Roy) was really happy I did,” Slatter said.
But Lovett’s early dominance in the slugfest has convinced him he would beat Bell if they met again.
“The fight will happen and if they think they’ll move onto bigger and better things they are absolutely dreaming,” Lovett said.
“You can’t go in too cocky because Timmy is one of the hardest boxers going around, and can whack, but I have no doubt in my mind that if we had a rematch I would punch holes in him.”
Lovett is targeting 21 March as the potential date for a rematch – exactly a month after his wedding to long-time partner Chanel.
