SHEFFIELD, England – Bilal Fawaz doesn’t plan to let the judges spoil his party in his rematch with Junaid Bostan this Saturday at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.
The pair first squared off in London in October last year, with Fawaz presenting the toughest test of young Bostan’s career. Bostan struggled to deal with Fawaz's intensity and pressure and faded down the stretch. Many expected the 37-year-old Fawaz to have his arm raised after 10 rounds, but the bout was scored a draw. The promoter of the fight and of Bostan, Eddie Hearn, revealed afterwards that he also scored the contest in favour of Fawaz.
“Well, two of the judges didn't see it the way that most judges or everyone in the world saw it,” Fawaz told BoxingScene. “So I can assure you, those two judges should not be judging. They need to get their sight checked and questioned, because you should see all the comments, you should see the fight. I don't know how they gave it to him and how it was a draw. Because even Eddie Hearn said I won 6-4. So if that is the case, what were they looking at?”
The judges’ decision has influenced how Fawaz, now 9-1-1 (3 KOs), will address the rematch.
“So we're just going to make sure that we don't let the judges have the idea that he is winning,” Fawaz said of his plan. “So we're going to make sure we put in the work from the beginning and see how it goes. Probably stop him with too many punches.
“What I can say is, I didn't finish the petrol I had in the tank [in the first fight]. So I reserved a little, I don't know why I did that, because I knew I won the fight. I felt I could have taken him out, but I don't know why I didn’t. I decided to showboat and enjoy myself. So now, strictly business.”
Bostan, 10-0-1 (8 KOs), has had a year to prepare for the rematch with Fawaz. Still just 23 years old, Bostan is learning on the job as a professional. But with just 11 fights to his name, Fawaz believes Bostan’s career is on the line in their next duel.
“He's growing, so his brain will grow. He will be able to absorb more information. His intellect will be different because he's under pressure right now. His castle is about to crumble. So I presume that he has done some tricks and some things that he hasn't done before, because his life is on the line. So I have a response for everything you throw at me. I will counter everything.”
