Eddie Hearn Still Feels Josh Warrington Has A Bright Future
It was a bad night for Josh “Leeds Warrior” Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KOs), who lost the IBF featherweight title by a majority decision to mandatory contender Luis Alberto Lopez (27-2, 15 KOs). Leading into the fight, The Leeds Warrior felt a win over Lopez would lead to his dream of fighting in the United States.
FLIGHT FROM REALITY?
During the post-fight interview, Warrington’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, discussed the potential options for his fighter in the aftermath of this latest setback.
“Josh has had a long career. I still feel like he’s fighting at the elite level of the sport. I still see that American trip. I still see that fight with Leigh Wood because it was a fight that could’ve gone either way tonight.
“Lopez is a very good fighter, very tricky. He’s going to cause a lot of people a lot of problems. I thought he was unlucky to shave the fight, but it was a fight of two halves.”
THE SOBERING TRUTH
One of the jobs of a promoter is to be eternally optimistic for their fighter. But here is the sobering reality. The dream fight for Warrington in the United States was a showdown with reigning WBA featherweight super champ Leo Santa Cruz. Why would Santa Cruz face him now, given that Warrington is no longer a world champion?
For American fans to be interested in a fighter outside their shores, that fighter either has to be very popular or has to be a current world champion. Besides, most hardcore fans in the States were not exactly clamoring to see Warrington fight to begin with. A battle with WBA regular champ Leigh Wood is a viable fight in England. However, Wood expressed after Warrington lost his title that he was no longer interested in the match-up.
Then there is the question of if he’s still elite-level at featherweight. Many observers still remember how Warrington looked in a stoppage loss to Mauricio Lara in February 2021. Now you have the loss to Lopez. It’s debatable if one can still consider Warrington among the best of the best in the division.
Hearn is technically correct in what he speaks of Warrington. But what he still envisions for his charge looks little more than wishful thinking. Where Warrington goes from here is anyone’s guess.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
