Former two-time IBF world featherweight world champion Josh Warrington has vowed that he will be seeking to be “firing on all cylinders” when he challenges WBA world featherweight champion Leigh Wood on October 7th in Sheffield.
Last week promoters Matchroom Boxing formally confirmed the all-British encounter between the domestic rivals. A contest and unification had been touted before Warrington’s defeat last December against Luis Alberto Lopez, with Warrington losing his IBF world title in the process.
In his last four fights, Warrington has seen himself win once against two defeats and a sole draw.
Despite Warrington’s patch form on the form sheet, he vows to return to his best and prove the doubters wrong.
“I feel great. I feel mentally at my peak. Physically, I know that I now need to have one or two more days off than I used to have because I understand the importance of rest now. I used to be able to train twenty times a week, but my dad said that I needed to slow down. That’s one of the things that you learn from experience,” Warrington told Betfred.
“My boxing brain has developed a lot over the years, and perhaps I’ve been considered the older fighter out of the two of us because I’ve been in the big fights for such a long time, headlining shows for the past ten years and being on the world stage for knocking on six years.
“Look at my last fight, I lost by a majority decision, but I thought I had done enough. If that went my way, I would have been walking away as champion. I will be firing on all cylinders on October 7th, and when I get the win, people are going to be saying, ‘Warrington’s back to his best’. It’s the nature of our boxing fans, I guess.”
Warrington, if successful against Wood on October 7th, hopes to take himself and his vocal and strong following to the United States. Warrington has often found himself speaking about his desire to fight in the United States, predominantly in Las Vegas and will be something he will pursue once he has come past Wood.
“If I get to the end of my career and I’ve not achieved that, then I would be a little disappointed. I genuinely have supporters who have credit cards ready to go, and they have for a long time. If I get through this fight, then that’s what I will be pursuing,” Warrington said.
