Josh Warrington 's face has been left disfigured after breaking his jaw against Kiko Martinez last weekend.
'The Leeds Warrior' reclaimed his IBF featherweight title by stopping Martinez in a one-sided fight. Warrington dropped the Spaniard in the opening round and continued to dominate the fight until it was stopped in the seventh, much to the delight of the Leeds crowd.
The 31-year-old was taken to hospital with a suspected fractured jaw and broken hand after his win. Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn later posted a picture of Warrington's X-ray that showed a "clean break" of his jaw.
Warrington posted a video of his swollen jaw to his Instagram story and revealed he will be on a liquid diet for two weeks because of the swelling. "So because the old jaw is looking quite a size now, I've got on the liquid diet for this week and next," he said.
"No fry-ups on a Monday like normal, but instead porridge in a cup all liquid and watered down. The things you have to do, the price you pay for being champion."
Warrington's father and coach, Sean O’Hagan, suggested his fighter has two career-defining fights left in his career. The Brit is keen on making his US debut and his father addressed potential fights with WBA champion Leigh Wood and WBC champion Mark Magsayo.
“Josh has always expressed an interest in going abroad to fight in Las Vegas, or maybe New York but there again, we’ve got Leigh Wood in the equation haven’t we? We’ve got Mark Magsayo, the possibilities now are numerous," he told PA.
Who should Josh Warrington fight next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
“I know that would be a unification [fight] in the States, so we can’t rule out Leo Santa Cruz [WBA super-featherweight champion]. If I was going to choose one I’d say let’s go take on Santa Cruz, then we’ll come back home for maybe his last one and unify against Leigh Wood.
Martinez has also shown off the damage left on his face after losing his world title to Warrington. Despite having two swollen eyes and several stitches, he seemed to be in good spirits writing: "We are already home. Thank God my family will take care of me as they always do. Thank you all very much, I will never forget how well you have always treated me."
The 36-year-old was defending his featherweight title for the first time against Warrington having won the belt in a huge upset against Kid Galahad last November.
