Tew backed to get back on title trail (From Daily Echo)

Tew backed to get back on title trail

8:36am Tuesday 5th March 2013 in Sport

Matty Tew has been backed to recover from his heartbreaking knockout defeat to win more titles.

The Southampton lightweight was put down in the third round of his International Masters title defence against Santiago Bustos in front of an army of friends and family at the Guildhall.

It was a major blow for the previously unbeaten pro but his trainer, Wayne Batten, believes it will only make his charge stronger.

“I’m gutted for Matty. Disappointed and gutted,” he said.

“Matty is one of the nicest people you’ll ever wish to meet.

“But this is boxing, It’s a business we are in and you’ve got to learn from it and hopefully move on to the next one.

“I’m not making up excuses but he wasn’t 100 per cent. To be honest, the shot that did the damage I think it wouldn’t have made any difference.

“Matty was just unlucky to get caught with that shot.

“First round he was in control, the second was a little bit closer but he did enough to win it, and then he got caught in the third round.

“We’re a team and we’ve all got to pull together.

“I’m just gutted really but we will learn from it.

“It’s the way boxing goes – the other side of it is that Matty could have done the same to him and everything would have been OK.

“This is not the end of the road for Matty.

“I know he would love a rematch to try and win back that title and we are still looking towards a Southern Area.

“It’s one step at a time but Matty has the heart and the determination to win more titles.”

Tew’s defeat was the only blot on the landscape of an otherwise successful night for Batten’s lads.

“It’s weird because I’ve always said boxing is full of highs and lows and I experienced that in one night,” reflected the trainer.

“That is unusual in that you usually have nights where you have a high and nights where you have a low, but this all came together.”

The show itself has been hailed a success.

It’s the first since Southampton’s top pro trainer went solo under the Batten’s Boxing Gym banner.

“I just want to thank everybody who came along so much for their support,” he said.

“This is still a learning process for us and we are still trying to get the balance right, but we have had some great feedback.

“We are trying to grow show on show and there were more people there for this one so hopefully that means we are doing something right.

“We just want to provide really good value for money and for people to come out and feel they have got value for money and been entertained. We will keep learning and keep improving.”