James Webb vows to knockout Nathias Frederick in their middleweight title rematch
The long-speculated and highly anticipated rematch between Cage Warriors middleweight champion James Webb and Nathias Frederick was officially confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
Their first fight ended in a majority draw at Cage Warriors 106 back in June. A fight filled with action and controversy which has meant a rematch was inevitable and now its official.
Both fighters have agreed to run back the bout. This title fight will headline the November 22 fight card taking place at the Indigo at the O2 in London.
The Longest Layoff
After a grueling back and forth five round war James Webb has needed some time to recover. A dislocated collar bone after an illegal spike from his opponent has left him unable to return to the gym as quickly as usual.
With a difficult 8-week period now over, Webb is back into full training in preparation for the highly anticipated rematch. “This is the longest I’ve had to take off after a fight but I’m pretty much all good now.”
I Won That Fight
Although he retained his title, the Cage Warriors middleweight champion was unhappy with the judge’s decision. A majority draw a verdict that shocked everyone in the arena, none-more so than James Webb.
“I never doubted I won,” He said. “When the first judge had it a draw that was unbelievable to me. The only people who saw him winning are his teammates or fans.”
The 29-year-old from Colchester believes he has the backing of his peers as the rightful winner at CW106. “I spoke to a lot of people, fighters in the UFC or high-level coaches. No-one scored it a draw. Most people had it 4-1 to me like one of the judges did.”
In the immediate aftermath of the event Webb was disappointed in his performance just as much as the result.
Upon reflection he has decided to cut himself some slack. He said, “The performance wasn’t the worst in the world.”
After completing 12 take downs on Nathias Frederick and advancing to dominant positions, Webb feels like he let his man off the hook on more than one occasion. Such are the high expectations of himself, Webb is now in camp preparing to correct the “errors” made in the previous bout.
Despite being his own worst critic, James Webb maintains he won the fight and that Nathias Frederick, “didn’t do anything he wanted to do in the fight.”
Going for the Knockout
Although he believes he ran out a clear winner at CW106 the champion, Webb is keen to make changes ahead of the rematch. As a slick submission specialist, he feels he was seeking the easy route to victory in previous fights by dominating his opponents on the mat. He now wants to switch the emphasis and look for a knockout finish to “settle the score.”
The hands of James Webb are often overlooked but he assures they’ll be on display in his next fight. He said, “I have heavy hands, I’ve knocked people out. I think that an avenue I will be looking to explore.”
With his 6 wins all coming by stoppage the champion is intent on making it 7 finishes to take opinion out of the result.
“I’ve never really had to trust the judges because I just finish everyone. I’ll have to get back to that. I’m going to go out there and finish him with my hands.”
Nothing has changed for James Webb, despite a tough result. The opponent doesn’t matter, he assures he’ll be heading into 2020 with a win and his belt to keep him company.
With a UFC London card believed to be scheduled for early next year, you would expect James Webb to be in prime position for a call up. First up, he’s got Nathias Frederick ready to go to war once again at the Inidgio at the O2 later this year.
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The Scrap’s Jordan Ellis of Liverpool, UK is a lifelong fight fan and aspiring writer. Covering all things MMA and Boxing, you can follow him on Twitter (@JordanEllisUK) for daily fight news and content.
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