Josh Warrington Excited to Get Back in the Ring As He Searches For His Career Defining, Marquee Fight
2021 has gotten off to a rocky start for former world champion Josh Warrington (30-0, 7 KOs). First, negotiations fell through for a unification bout against WBA “regular” World Featherweight champion, Can Xu (18-0, 3 KOs). That was followed by Warrington’s decision to vacate the IBF World Featherweight title. Now the 30-year-old from Leeds, England hopes to get things back in order. That starts with a 10-round contest against Mauricio Lara (21-2, 14 KOs) on February 6 at Wembley Arena live on DAZN.
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This will be Warrington’s first time in the ring in 16 months. Many view Lara as an underwhelming opponent. However, as the former champ explained to Matchroom Boxing, he cannot afford to lose focus and is happy to get back into the ring.
“The next fight is always the most important one. You can’t afford to slip up. For my legacy as a fighter, I want to be known as someone who went in there and beat the best. This is the pinnacle of my career. Nobody in the boxing world ever thought I’d get to this stage. All of the big fights are there in front of me. I’m ready to take on the bigger names.
It’s going to be good to get back. It has been mentally testing. There’s been dates that have changed many times. It’s been last April, then last May, last June, last August, last October, and last December. It won’t feel like I’m back until I step through them ropes. It won’t feel like I’m back until that first bell rings. It’s been frustrating but now I’m ready to go.”
NEW FOOTING
In many ways, this is a reset for Warrington. He was frustrated over not landing a fight against Xu. The two had hopes of fighting this spring. However, Xu had concerns about fighting in England due to COVID-19 restrictions. Things became messier when the IBF refused to sanction the bout. They had ordered that Warrington face their #1 contender and mandatory challenger, Kid Galahad (27-1, 16 KOs). That prompted Warrington to bid adieu with the IBF strap.
With a world title no longer around his waist, the pride of Leeds must go in a new direction. He insists he wants the big names at featherweight. Hope is still being held out a showdown against Xu can eventually be made. Warrington has also expressed an interest in fighting WBC World Featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr (31-1, 18 KOs).
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
