By Elliot Foster

Josh Warrington clung to his title with a 12-round decision victory.

The Leeds featherweight kept hold of the WBC International crown in his hometown, exclusively live on Sky Sports.

Warrington, 24, maintained his undefeated run in the paid game, moving on to 23-0 (4 KOs) after securing all three judges’ scorecards against Japan’s Hisashi Amagasa in a top-of-the-bill clash at the First Direct Arena.

The fight was one that started well for the home fighter against a man who was widely known as the man to knock two-time Olympic and world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, from Cuba, down twice.

Amagasa, 30, slipped to 30-6-2 (20 KOs), but put up a fantastic showing in front of the capacity crowd in front of which he didn’t seem fazed whatsoever.

Next up for Warrington, who is looking for that lucrative world title shot, could be a crack at IBF champ Lee Selby –– who was in the Sky Sports studio –– at Elland Road.

But after another successful defence of the belt –– in which he was handed the victory by margins of 117-111, 118-111 & 120-107 –– against a man who gave as good as he got for the duration, Warrington can now focus his attention on bigger and better things.