Ben Vickers, coach for fighter Jack Della Maddalena, has shared his perspectives on a potential future rematch against Islam Makhachev.
Della Maddalena is gearing up for his next bout against the formidable Carlos Prates. This upcoming fight is crucial for him to re-establish his position in championship contention following his decisive loss to Islam Makhachev in their previous encounter.
Having held the championship title before facing Makhachev, Della Maddalena lost the belt in that match. Now, he faces the challenge of navigating the welterweight division’s toughest opponents to earn his way back to a title shot.
In a recent interview, Ben Vickers provided intriguing insights into Della Maddalena’s prospects of facing Makhachev again.
Della Maddalena’s Coach on His Future Goals
“I hope Islam maintains possession of the belt,” Vickers stated in an interview. “One of Jack’s initial comments to me was his desire to rematch Islam for the championship. He wasn’t hoping someone else would defeat Islam for him; he was very firm about wanting that fight again himself. So, from our perspective, we’d like to see Islam continue winning and defending his title, which would provide us with another opportunity to challenge him.”
“I understand some might think I’m mistaken for saying this, but given how the fight with Islam unfolded, I genuinely don’t believe we need to make significant changes to our approach. Instead, we need to execute our existing game plan more effectively,” Vickers explained. “For whatever reason, it didn’t come together that night.”
“But I still hold the conviction that we had a solid strategy in place; we just couldn’t implement it for various reasons. Whether it was Islam’s superior performance on the night or Jack’s delayed reactions to specific positions we had drilled, whatever the cause, I don’t think a great deal of work is required to alter the outcome of another fight against Islam.”
Do you believe this rematch will eventually materialize? Share your thoughts.
