Put the blame on me – James Tennyson says defeat was his fault
James Tennyson [28(24)-4(4)] believes he is to blame for his most recent career defeat and has taken sole responsibility for the loss.
‘The Assassin’ suffered a surprise defeat on the undercard of Joseph Parker’s victory over Derek Chisora last weekend. Mexican Jovanni Straffon stopped the former Irish, British, Commonwealth, and European champion in the first round of their lightweight clash.
‘Tenny’ went out all gunsbalzing against a fighter who was armed with ammunition a kin to his and lost the shootout.
Many questioned his tactics on the night, suggesting Tennyson should have gone through a feeling-out process before opening up or broke the Mexican down methodically and wondering if Tony Dunlop had sent him on a seek and destroy mission. Then post-defeat manager Mark Dunlop revealed there were weight issues leading up to the fight.
Such a fallout left the 27-year-old with two perfect get-out clauses and two ready-made excuses. However, in what is a rarity in boxing the Belfast puncher was happy to take the blame for the performance and the defeat.
Speaking online Tennyson said the fault was his ‘own’ and did promise to dust himself off and come back strong.
The boxing business can be a bitter pill to swallow when you have high hopes of doing the business setting up some big nights and then it falls down round you. I don’t post my defeats tho i feel this one was at no fault other than my own! Time to dust myself off & right my wrongs pic.twitter.com/7hcXGO8JgK
— James Tennyson (@JamesT931) May 6, 2021
Speaking recently manager Mark Dunlop has revealed the big punching entertainer is 140lbs bound.
The MHD boss didn’t want to use it as excuse for defeat against the ‘Impacto’ but claimed Tennyson struggled to make weight during fight week.
“The whole week it was back to the old days of making weight,” Dunlop told boxing journalist David Mohan.
“We’re not using that as an excuse – he lost the fight and that’s it – but he’s just too big and he needs to move up. He was struggling to lose the last 2lb all week and I know it doesn’t seem much but it is when there’s nothing left in you. He got himself pumped up again after the weigh-in but it’s what energy it (making weight) takes out of you,” he added before revealing they had decided to move up during fight week and before the result.
“We were saying all week that if we won we would move up unless there was a big-money fight there. He was always moving up because he’s just filling out.”
