McMahon accepted two World title fights, at two different weights, following Lecca withdrawal

Christina McMahon [7(3)-2(0)] may have seen her World title dreams derailed yet again, but the Monaghan woman’s desire and fighting spirit has won her many admirers in the WBA and she hopes to be rewarded for this in 2017.

McMahon saw her WBA super flyweight title challenge against champion Linda Laura Lecca, set for December 3rd in Dublin, shelved due to the Peruvian withdrawing.

The 42 year old did everything in her power to ensure that the now-cancelled fight night still could take place, and revealed that she accepted short-notice World title fights at both flyweight and bantamweight, only to see these also fall through,

Speaking on Northern Sound, ‘Lightning’ McMahon described her team’s efforts to “work with the WBA to try and get a replacement fight as there was no major reason given for why they [Linda Laura Lecca] were pulling out.”

“I was then offered the flyweight title, which was vacant, there was a good chance I could fight for that instead, but I would have had to lose additional weight.”

“I finally got my head around that and decided ‘let’s go for it’, don’t let the show down, don’t let the people who I sold tickets to down.”

“I then found out that that was a no-go, but the weight ABOVE me [bantamweight] was available to me and that the World champion [Mayerlin Rivas of Venezuela] would come to Ireland as she had to defend her title within a certain amount of time, and that this would be her opportunity, and that she would be delighted to come to Ireland.”

“So I got excited again, and again got my head around getting ready for the fight, only to find out that the show was off.”

McMahon is understandably distraught that the title challenge has fallen through, but her willingness on short notice to go both up and down in weight to try fulfill her dream has won her many plaudits from the WBA. The Carrickmacross boxer explained how “something that helped my confidence was: I was speaking to a match-maker in America who rang last night, and he just had a message from the WBA, that they were shocked that any girl, two weeks before her World title fight, was willing to drop weight to make the lighter weight, and was willing to fight at a heavier wgeiht to make this happen, and for this to fall on my lap.”

“I think I’ve earned the respect of the World body, the WBA, and they’re trying everything to get me a fight now that I deserve.”

“Sometimes out of a closed door, something new opens”