Terry Flanagan Scratched From 12/19 Manchester Bill

By Terence Dooley

 

Terry Flanagan (29-0, 12 KOs) has opted out of Frank Warren’s bumper December 19th bill at the Manchester Arena. The Ancoats-based 26-year-old has decided to have a rest following last month’s second-round stoppage win over Diego Magdaleno at the same venue.  

Derry Mathews will take his place on the card, which is headlined by Andy Lee’s WBO middleweight title defence against Billy Joe Saunders.

 

“You have peaks and troughs when you’re training and he hit a massive peak in his last fight,” Francis Warren told the Manchester Evening News when confirming the decision.  

“He’s had a little break and now he’s listened to his body and is being sensible by having an extended rest.  His fights have come in quick succession over the past year and I think it’s been 17 weeks since the first training camp against (Jose) Zepeda and the fight against Magdaleno, so it’s been non-stop.”

 

Flanagan-Mathews was in play for the bill, but with the WBO titlist out the fight has been pencilled in for 2016.

 

“That is the fight that we would love to make so fingers crossed it can still happen at some point,” added Warren.  “They are both two quality British lightweights that are operating at world level so it would be a close one to call.”