Anthony Smith’s coach, Marc Montoya has reacted to the hoopla surrounding his fighter’s TKO loss to Glover Teixeira.
Smith took on Teixeira back in May. “Lionheart” was the favorite going into the bout but he appeared to lose steam early in the bout. Smith ended up being stopped in the fifth round via TKO. Many critics and fans criticized the corner of Smith for not stopping the fight before referee Jason Herzog stepped in. At one point, “Lionheart” told the corner that his teeth were falling out. Montoya explained that Smith has veneers and “Lionheart” clarified that he wasn’t looking for a way out of the fight.
Marc Montoya Hits Back At Criticism Over Smith vs. Teixeira
Appearing on The Luke Thomas Show on SiriusXM Radio, Montoya responded to his critics (h/t BJPenn.com).
“The thing is I made a decision and that’s what happened,” Montoya said. “The bottom line is if you’re going to continue what I call dare greatly, sometimes you’re going to win and sometimes you’re going to lose. Sometimes when you dare greatly you’re going to get your ass kicked. You can’t have courage without vulnerability right? The bottom line is, people have opinions and that’s fair. I know behind the scenes what’s going on, I know my athlete. Whether the criticism is fair or not, at the end of the day all we can do from a situation on a win or a loss is get better. The path I’ve taken is we have to continue to grow and get better.”
Montoya has largely been praised as a coach. He is often credited for the turnaround in Smith’s career once the move to the light heavyweight division was made. At times, it seems like the Smith vs. Teixeira fight has overshadowed his resume. A few bounce-back wins for “Lionheart” could very well put an end to the brouhaha. Smith has said that he has a rule in place where he doesn’t allow his cornermen to throw in the towel in his fights.
The good news is Smith appears to be fine following the loss outside of the wear and tear that comes with the job. While losing to Teixeira was certainly a setback, Smith plans to get back on the horse and continue his quest to return to the UFC light heavyweight title picture.
