Bruce Carrington says he’s on the “brink of a world title shot” heading into his 12-round fight for the WBC interim featherweight title against Mateus Heita this Saturday, July 26 at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.
Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) is annoyed that none of the champions in the 126-lb division are showing interest in fighting him. At 28, he’s not young for a contender who has yet to fight for a world title. He can’t afford to wait much longer, as he appears to be struggling to meet the 126-lb limit.
Weight Cut Struggles
This week, Carrington has looked drained in taking off weight for today’s weigh-in for the Heita fight. You can tell from his drawn appearance that it’s taken a lot out of him, cutting the last few pounds. It’s obvious that Carrington needs to move up to 130 [super featherweight] soon.
“I’m on the brink of a world title opportunity, and I’m going to kick the door down with this performance,” said Bruce Carrington to Fighthype, talking about his fight on Saturday against Mateus Heita. “Most of these guys are relatively new champions. So, they kind of want to milk that [featherweight title]. It’s a smart business move, but you’re stopping my money.
Saturday’s Carrington vs. Heita fight will be for the WBC interim featherweight title. If Carrington can capture that belt, he has a chance of the WBC eventually ordering the title clash between him and the champion, Stephen Fulton. Other than that, Carrington will continue to be ignored and avoided by the four belt-holders in the division. He’s too dangerous for his own good, and not popular enough for them to overlook the risk involved in fighting him.
“Him talking some smack up there gave me the extra fuel that I needed to go in there and have an even more aggressive mentality,” said Carrington. “It’s going to be something for the fans to watch.”
Heita’s Threat
Not much is known about Heita to tell if he’s any good. The WBC has him ranked at #11, but they’re the only sanctioning body that has him in their top 15. That’s generally a signal that Heita isn’t viewed as a good talent. It might not matter. If he can’t punch and is aggressive, he’s got a chance of beating Carrington.
“I’ve added some deep-sea workouts. Right now, I think my stamina is great because of that. I can stay underwater for two minutes now and be doing squat presses in a 13-foot-deep pool. All those things took me to the next level to get me ready for my first 12-rounder,” said Carrington.
Segawa Fight Impact
Using deep-sea, breath-holding exercises isn’t going to do much for Carrington, 26, if he can’t fight better than he did last September against Sulaiman Segawa. He was out-punched by Segawa and lost the fight in the eyes of many boxing fans. The judges gave Carrington a controversial 10-round majority decision against the Ugandan Segawa, but he looked like the loser. At best, the fight should have been scored a draw.
What we saw in the Carrington-Segawa fight is that Carrington struggles when he faces an aggressive fighter who throws back at him, and has decent power. On Saturday, Heita is going to be putting a lot of pressure on Carrington, and it could be a problem for the New Yorker if he hasn’t improved since the Segawa fight.
Last Updated on 07/25/2025
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