Josh Warrington: record, next fight and profile →
Josh Warrington is content to remain an underdog but hopes there can be no doubting his status as one of the world’s best featherweights after a barnstorming victory over Carl Frampton. The two combatants engaged in a contender for fight of the year at the Manchester Arena but Warrington largely came out on top of the numerous bruising exchanges to earn a unanimous decision win.
Sometimes it’s more fun to be wrong. Going into the fight, it was perceived here Carl Frampton was just a little level better than Josh Warrington. That thinking was dispelled early as Warrington let loose streams of leather. Then one had to wonder if he could sustain as Frampton started to get into the fight.
By Tris Dixon - A CRUEL left hook, an early salvo… The margins between success and failure, victory and defeat and a merry Christmas and a rotten one are minute. Dillian Whyte and Josh Warrington, worthy winners on Saturday night, wake up with ambitions to realise, expectations to fulfil and the biggest fights...
Josh Warrington retains his IBF featherweight title with a series of tornado-like surges that rattled Carl Frampton and kept him off-balance as well as with excellent body punching as he led 95-46 in body connects.
Warrington, Frampton Fight Photos Gallery - Josh Warrington kept hold of his world title with a sensational display. The Leeds man, who clinched the crown by beating Lee Selby at Elland Road back in May, was in against Carl Frampton. Warrington, 28, outpointed the former two-weight world champion in front of a near-capacity crowd at Manchester Arena. The fight, exclusively live on BT Sport Box Office, on Saturday was a serious contender for fight of the year between two fighters who gave everything from the beginning until the end.
Manchester Arena, Manchester - IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington (28-0, 6 KOs) won a twelve round unanimous decision over former two division champion Carl Frampton (26-2, 15 KOs). The scores were 116-113, 116-112, 116-112. Warrington captured title back in May, when he upset the odds with a twelve round split decision win over Lee Selby.
The third fight with Leo Santa Cruz hasn’t come. Neither has a showdown with Oscar Valdez or Gary Russell Jr. Former unified Jr. featherweight and singular featherweight titlist Carl Frampton has instead stayed active and now gets a crack at a second belt at 126 lbs. with the perceived biggest names in the class still over the horizon.
Potential opponents ordinarily want to face the winners of high-profile fights. Not Michael Conlan. The Irish featherweight contender wants Carl Frampton to defeat Josh Warrington on Saturday night. Frampton and Conlan have become close friends, though, so close that they’ve agreed not to fight each other.
When WBO interim titleholder Carl Frampton challenges unbeaten IBF counterpart Josh Warrington on Saturday at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, “The Jackal” returns to the site of his 122-pound unification victory by split-decision over England’s Scott Quigg in February 2016.
Carl Frampton believes his ambition burns brighter than ever as he looks to prise the IBF featherweight title away from Josh Warrington at Manchester Arena this weekend. Frampton is the favourite with bookmakers to become world champion for a second time at the 126lbs limit – almost two years after Leo Santa Cruz took his WBA crown by handing the Northern Irishman his only professional defeat.