In a rematch, Lovato and
Gaines met at The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas on a Guilty Boxing show. Lovato
came out with a completely different style than she displayed in the first fight
against Gaines on April 1st. She opened with a right handed stance, catching
Gaines unprepared. Sharon took some of the cleanest, hardest shots of her
career in the first round and from then on did not fight like herself. She
continued to battle, despite bleeding from the nose and swelling around both
eyes, but finally the ref jumped in during round 4 and stopped the fight.
"Being stopped was THE worst experience I have had as a boxer," said Gaines. "Of
course I was in the ref's face arguing the stoppage, but after the fight, when I
saw all the swelling and bruising I realized he made a good decision to stop the
fight. I think it is natural instinct of any fighter to want to battle to the
end and that's where the refs come in to protect the fighter."
Gaines later went to a doctor and found she had broken her nose. We are glad to
report she has healed well.
"I think I probably had my nose broken in round 1 because after that round my
distance and timing were way off. I couldn't focus on my opponent or even what
my coach was saying in the corner. My vision was blurred," stated Gaines
"Luckily, it's nothing that won't heal!"