IBF Feather Champ Warrington Ready to Rumble in a Possible Prelude to Shakur

There isn’t a boxer in all of Great Britain who has a more ardent following in his home district than Josh Warrington. Warrington, the IBF featherweight champion, born and bred in Leeds, has earned the affection of his townsfolk with his fan-friendly style and a knack for finding an extra gear in the homestretch of a tight fight. Tom Seymour of the Observer calls Warrington “a featherweight Gennady Golovkin who is happy to take punishment as long as he can also give it.” That’s a rather odd comparison as Warrington lacks a knockout punch, but some of his recent fights have resembled Golovkin’s 12-round war this past Saturday with Sergiy Derevyanchenko.

Warrington (29-0, 6 KOs) won the title in Leeds in May of last year with a split decision over Lee Selby. Heading in, Selby, a Welshman, was 26-1 and hadn’t lost in nine years. In his first defense, Warrington sprung another upset, turning away former two-division world title holder Carl Frampton in Manchester. Warrington started and finished fast en route to winning a unanimous decision in a fight widely hailed as one of the best title fights in U.K. history.

Warrington’s most recent fight, against the Qatari-born Kid Galahad, didn’t measure up to that standard – the fight was messy at times – but Warrington clearly had the best of it in the last two rounds to eke out a split decision. That was Galahad’s first pro loss. Warrington’s last four opponents were a combined 96-2-2 at the time that he fought them.

Warrington, 28, has had the home field advantage in three of his last four fights and that will be true again Saturday when he meets Sofiane Takoucht, a 33-year-old Frenchman at Leeds premier indoor arena (capacity 13,781). A southpaw, Takoucht (33-3-1, 13 KOs) has won eight straight and never been stopped.

After a succession of grueling fights, Warrington was entitled to a soft defense and Takoucht fit the bill. Only two of his last eight opponents had a winning record. However, things are never easy for Warrington so one shouldn’t presume that he will have his way with the Frenchman.

Things weren’t easy for Warrington in school either. He lacked the grades to get admitted to the high school of his choice. But he persevered and earned a college degree. Until recently, Warrington juggled his boxing career with his day job as a dental technician. He and his wife are the parents of twin daughters.

Warrington, once affiliated with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom operation, is now promoted by Frank Warren who has a very cozy relationship (at least for the moment) with Bob Arum. It’s no secret that Arum would like to match Shakur Stevenson, one of his prized prospects, with Warrington. As for Warrington, he has made it known that one of his dreams is to fight a big-name fighter in the United States, preferably in Las Vegas. To this point in his career, he has fought exclusively in England with one exception, a bout in Germany when he was still largely unknown.

If Warrington and Stevenson meet, it will likely be a unification fight with two belts on the line – all the better for all the interested parties.

Shakur Stevenson (12-0, 7 KOs) has a date with Joet Gonzalez later this month in Reno. At stake will be the WBO world featherweight title vacated by Oscar Valdez who could no longer make the 126-pound limit. California’s Gonzalez (23-0, 14 KOs) is no pushover but Shakur is a substantial favorite.

Warrington vs. Takoucht will be broadcast by BT Sport in the United Kingdom and will be streamed by ESPN+ in the United States.

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