Bigger and Better – James Tennyson to comeback at a new weight

James Tennyson will move up in weight after his surprise defeat to Jovanni Straffon on Saturday night.

‘The Assassin’ was caught, dropped, and stopped by the Mexican within a round of the first fight on the PPV card in Manchester – and ultimately suffered a fourth career defeat.

The immediate post-mortem placed the blame at the feet of tactics, with suggestions Tennyson should have started with a little more caution against a hungry Mexican fighter with 16 knockouts on his record.

There was no sense Tenny got ‘found out’ or ‘exposed’ post the reverse, rather he got things wrong on the night and thus was not too far off where he was before Saturday’s reverse, some high profile scalps away from a lightweight world title fight.

However, it appears the former featherweight Irish champion, super featherweight European title holder and British lightweight champ is set to move up the scales again.

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.”

It’s believed Tennyson will take a deserved break before returning at his new weight. Which in turn suggests any immediate Matchroom to Belfast plans are put on hold, unless Tommy McCarthy could take the headliner reins in by impressing on May 15.

Tennyson has proved his bounce-back-ability over his career. He came back from being knocked out as a teen to win hounours in three weights classes. He also has a history of putting stoppage defeats behind him by moving up the scales and claiming titles, doing so to win the super featherweight European title and the the lightweight British strap.

Picture Credit Mark Robinson Matchroom