Alex Dilmaghani looked forward to building on a solid draw with Francisco Fonseca after watching Ryan Garcia KO his ex-foe in 80 seconds.
The current lockdown is a frustrating time for the whole planet as COVID-19 wreaks havoc on the sporting calendar until further notice.
Dilmaghani, 28, was penciled in to fight Samir Ziani on April 25th and is ready to capitalize on one of the best performances of his career.
Many believe the southpaw did enough to take the spoils against Fonseca last November at York Hall.
Now, all he can do is wait for the resumption of boxing bouts further down the line and keep himself in shape during the stay-at-home orders.
Alex Dilmaghani
“I’m coping with it as well as can be,” Dilmaghani told World Boxing News exclusively. “I’m not liking this situation right now, but no one is.
“Everyone’s in the same situation. Many people are worse off than me, so I won’t complain about being ‘bored’ when people are dying and losing loved ones and their jobs.
“I’m thankful that my family and I are healthy. That’s the main thing in life.”
On how or when he hopes to return, Dilmaghani added: “Unfortunately, these times are not only worrying as far as health is concerned, but from an economic standpoint, it’s making a lot of things uncertain.
“No one knows precisely when sport, let alone boxing, resumes. As soon as boxing returns, I’ll be ready.
“I expect that boxing will resume first behind closed doors with a limited crowd capacity. But at the end of the day – as I said, no one knows I have to focus on what I can control and keep up the training.
“I love and respect the sport of boxing and will be around for a long time.”
Reflecting on his last ring outing five months ago, Dilmaghani is still pleased, although the nature of the majority draw decision.
“I thought I won the fight, as did many. My shots were much cleaner. I forced the fight. A lot of his shots hit my arms and shoulders.
“The head clash blurred my vision. I don’t think it was from the blood but more so the impact of the collision. It is what it is, and it’s all experience.
“As far as the rematch is concerned, unfortunately, him getting KO’d by Ryan Garcia means a rematch doesn’t appeal to me right now.
“Maybe when he gets back some good wins, which I’m sure he will do, then a rematch is always there.”
Ryan Garcia
That knockout Dilmaghani speaks of was a crushing defeat of Fonseca in just 80 seconds by the world-class Garcia, who picked out Nicaraguan on the back of his UK stalemate.
Dilmaghani believes Fonseca left himself too open to the destructive ending.
“Ryan Garcia is lightning fast and a concussive puncher. He set a trap, and due to Fonseca being slow with the right hand, he got caught,” he pointed out. “These things happen in boxing.
“Hearns knocked Duran out cold in round two. It only takes one punch.
“Garcia is a fantastic fighter with a fantastic trainer. But there are still some unanswered questions about how he copes in deep waters.
“If that fight went longer, who knows what would have happened.”
Concluding on his thoughts for the world getting back to normality, or at least our sport moving forward from the lockdown, Dilmaghani stated: “I leave that up to my promoter Mick Hennessy.
“He’s highly experienced in the sport. I trust him. Now, I have to focus on what I can control and try to become a great fighter – which I’m on my way to becoming.
“I just have to keep working hard, be as active as possible, and continue to have Mick’s support and guidance.”
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