Josh Warrington returns to action on Saturday night as he faces Luis Alberto Lopez, figthing at the First Direct Arena for the second time this year.
He regained his title in March, beating Spain's Kiko Martinez in front of a home crowd. That win was an impressive return, with the 32-year-old claiming that people had written him off following a shock defeat to Mauricio Lara in 2021 before winning his rematch against the Mexican at Headingley last September.
Warrington will be joined on the card by Ebanie Bridges, with the Australian star a favourite of the Yorkshire public due to her public support for Leeds United. Bridges (8-1, 3 KOs) defends her IBF Bantamweight World Title against Shannon O'Connell (23-6-1, 11 KOs) in an all-Australian clash in Yorkshire.
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The 29-year-old Lopez (26-2 15 KOs) beat Isaac Lowe last year in an eliminator fight and will pose a tough test for Warrington who is keen to stay on his toes in a competitive featherweight division.
He has told Matchroom Boxing ahead of the fight: "It’s a division where fighters are constantly coming through and everyone is constantly trying to pull you back down because they want to be in your position. It’s like a game of snakes and ladders. It’s easier to just stay on top.
"It was a bit of a wakeup call was Mauricio Lara – the first one. I let my guard down. I had the Lara defeat and then all of a sudden it was, ‘he’s finished, he’s had his time in the sun’. That’s not the case. It was only a short time in the sun and I feel like I was just getting going."
When is Warrington vs Lopez?
The fight takes place on Saturday, December 10, with the card getting underway at 1:30pm, with the action pausing for England's World Cup quarter final against France which kicks off at 7pm.
Following the conclusion of the match, the final three fights will take place.
How to watch Warrington vs Lopez:
The fight will be broadcast live on DAZN, with the fight available for subscribers to the £7.99 monthly service.
You can see all of the ways to stream the fight here.
Who is on the Warrington vs Lopez fight card?
Subject to change, via Boxrec
- Josh Warrington vs. Luis Alberto Lopez; For Warrington's IBF world featherweight title
- Ebanie Bridges vs. Shannon O'Connell; For Bridges' IBF women's world bantamweight title
- James Metcalf vs. Courtney Pennington; WBA Continental Super Welterweight title
Felix Cash vs. Celso Neves ; Middleweight
- Hopey Price vs. Jonathan Santana; Super bantamweight
- Shannon Courtenay vs. Gemma Ruegg; Women's super bantamweight
- Junaid Bostan vs. Athanasios Glynos; Light middleweight
- Rhiannon Dixon vs. Kristine Shergold; Women's lightweight
- Cory O'Regan vs. Shaun Cooper; Lightweight
- Koby McNamara vs. Nabil Ahmed; Bantamweight
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