Express & Star

Battle of Baggies II – the rematch is on

Two albion-mad boxers will slug it out for the British middleweight belt again after a rematch of the Battle of the Baggies was approved.

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Jason Welborn (23-6) stunned Tommy Langford (20-2) at Walsall Town Hall last month to take the British middleweight title from him in an enthralling and tight encounter.

Two judges gave the bout to Welborn by 114-113 with the third judge awarding it to Langford at 115-113.

Langford was the big favourite going into the bout, having already defeated his mandatory challenger, but it was the underdog who snatched the victory on a split decision.

A rematch is now on the cards after the British Boxing Board of Control accepted a request from Black Country Boxing promoter Errol Johnson.

It is expected to take place in Walsall in September and Welborn is confident he’ll walk away a winner again.

“I’ll get back in training and work on what I should have done a bit more, of” he told the Express & Star. “Even though I got the win I’ve looked at a few mistakes.

“A win is a win, I got the belt, I got what I wanted.

“But it’s alright winning it, now it’s about defending it.”

The 32-year-old stunned Langford with a second-round hook in May that caused the referee to give the defending champion a standing eight count,.

“That was probably the best Tommy Langford we’ve seen,” said Welborn. “I don’t think he’s got much more to offer. His trainer is going to tell him to box more – we’ll see what happens.

“We’ve got a gameplan now, we know what Tommy Langford is about.

“Obviously every fight you’ve got to adapt, at the end of the day I’ll adapt again.

“I’ll try and get Langford out of the way and move on to other things. I’m more than confident I’ll be able to.”

It was third time lucky for Welborn, who hails from Rowley Regis, after two previous cracks at the British crown had failed.

Langford has admitted there is no love lost between the pair despite their Albion allegiances that saw each boxer were Baggies colours in May.

The 28-year-old, who is trained by Tom Chaney at Hall Green ABC, is desperate to reclaim his title after the shock defeat in May.

Langoford immediately triggered the rematch clause in his contract for a chance to win back his Lonsdale belt after what was just the second defeat in his career.

The pair will get to lay it all on the line again in the eagerly-anticipated return, which has been billed as ‘Repeat or Revenge’.

The winner of the Battle of the Baggies II will defend his title against Mark Heffron (20-0) from Oldham.