Saturday sees unbeaten prospect Josh Warrington fight for the vacant European featherweight title in his home town of Leeds.
Josh Warrington goes into the fight as the English, British and Commonwealth champion, having ruined the records of some talented fighters in his last few fights. In May, he saw off Martin Lindsay, a man who reached the final bell against the imperious Lee Selby just eight months previously, albeit in a losing effort. Though Lindsay also took Warrington 12 rounds, the scorecards told their own story- all three judges had the Yorkshireman up by nine rounds, a more impressive effort than even Selby could muster. Just a month before, he effectively ended the career of the former WBA world super-bantamweight champion Rendall Munroe, who controversially retired on his stool in the seventh round of their bout after being outboxed throughout the opening exchanges. Other impressive victories have come against the formerly unbeaten Chris Male, for the British title, and the similarly undefeated Samir Mouneimne, for the Commonwealth strap.
While Saturday’s opponent, the Italian Davide Dieli, should represent another step-up in class for Warrington, it is unlikely that he will cause him significant trouble. It must be noted that Dieli is an ex-European champion, who is attempting to regain his belt after losing it on a split decision two years ago. However, the 35 year old has fought outside of his homeland only once, and with three defeats chalked up in eighteen fights, I personally doubt whether he will be able to handle the raucous atmosphere inside the First Direct Arena come fight night.
Described by the Leeds man as ‘by far the biggest night of my career’, the night represents a chance for Warrington to steal the highlight from an undercard which is packed full of British talent. Two-weight world champion Ricky Burns begins his attempt to establish himself on the light-welterweight scene after defeats at lightweight to Terence Crawford and Dejan Zlaticanin, while Brian Rose makes his return to the ring after a crushing knockout defeat to light-middleweight world champion Demetrius Andrade. Both should win their fights fairly comfortably as they look to haul their way back up the boxing ladder.
Also on the bill is the exciting young super-middleweight Callum Smith who, like Warrington, boasts an unblemished record thus far in his career. He defends his WBC international title for the third time, and fans will be hoping to see him add another knockout victory to his impressive tally of 10 from 13 fights. I am a huge fan of Smith, and his skill and apparent dedication are a tribute to the extremely successful stable of trainer Joe Gallagher, who trains Smith’s siblings Paul, Liam and Stephen as well as world title hopeful Anthony Crolla. Smith’s potential also adds to the frightening firepower of the British super-middleweight division, where he sits alongside names such as Carl Froch, George Groves, James Degale, and brother Paul.
I can see no other outcome except a Warrington-led British domination on Saturday night. Expect knockout victories for Smith and Rose, and easy points wins for Burns and Warrington. You heard it here first!
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