Keeler sure to learn from Doran defeat
By Stephen Leonard
A LACK of experience is what Luke Keeler believes cost him the WBC International Middleweight title when he was stopped by Tom Doran in the Echo Arena in Liverpool on Saturday.
In what was the second meeting of these two, with Doran having won in Prizefighter last year, the Ballyfermot boxer put his opponent to the canvas early on.
Yet the Welshman got back on his feet and landed a number of blows in what turned into a war that culminated with Keeler’s stoppage in the second round.
Nevertheless the Dubliner firmly believes he will benefit from the experience of this title fight and come back even stronger.
“When I landed that right on him and put him down, I just rushed in. I never looked at my corner and just rushed in when I should have kept him at arms length and beaten him on points” Keeler told The Echo.
“When he caught me on the back of the head I just never recovered from that, even at the break before the second round.
“I’ve never been dropped before and it was just a strange feeling, but I put this all down to experience.
“I’ve learned ten times more from that fight that I have any other and I won’t do the same thing again.
“I’ve already put it behind me. If I didn’t believe that I have the ability or talent for this, I’d be doing something else.
“This experience will stand to me. There are some doubters out there, but I’ll just be looking to get back out there and prove them wrong.
“I’m just going to take a couple of weeks off and then get back into training after that.
“There’s talk of a show in Belfast in September with Matchroom so hopefully I can get on that” he said.
