JOSH WARRINGTON is dreaming of hitting the boxing jackpot in Las Vegas so his friends can have a week of partying.
The Leeds hero defends his IBF World Featherweight title against Belfast’s Carl Frampton (26-1) at Manchester Arena on December 22.
Promoter Frank Warren is lining up a unification fight next year against WBO champion Oscar Valdez for the winner.
If Warrington wins his first defence next month he wants it to take place in America. Warrington (27-0) is a huge ticket seller and would take thousands of fans if he boxed in the world’s boxing capital.
He said: “I would like to go to the United States – that gets me excited!
“It is for all my fans. After I beat Lee Selby, they were all asking me; ‘When is Las Vegas happening?’ They want an away day and an excuse to take a holiday..
“My boxing bucket list is unifying the division and to box there like a lot of the great fighters have.
“When I went to watch Carl fight Leo Santa Cruz in their Las Vegas rematch I made it my intention then that I wanted to fight there.”
Valdez says he wants the Warrington/Frampton winner and his promoter Bob Arum has discussed the clash with Warren, who promotes both boxers.
Warrington, 27, added: “Valdez is very exciting, a helluva talent, likes a scrap, known how to get guys out when they’re hurt but at the same time I have seen weaknesses.
“He gets caught pretty clean and sometimes uses his chin as his defence. He has beaten good names though and I wouldn’t take any credit away from him.
“Right now all I’m thinking of is Carl, and I’m sure he is thinking of me more than Valdez or any boxer.”
Warrington is still young enough to take his time in cleaning up the Featherweight division, but is in a rush to secure his legacy.
“When there is a chance to fight another champion you are going to grab that opportunity with both hands,” he explained.
“I am reaching my peak years. I’m fresh, I’m hungry, I’m determined. When you have momentum and confidence in yourself go for the big ones.
“Some fighters look at it like they have a chance to pad out their record and get some paydays under their belt.
“It is a short career and I don’t want to be boxing forever. If I can get the big fights one after the other I will take them.
“In my mid-career I was headlining Leeds Arena and I wasn’t fighting big names, but I was building myself up.
“Now it is the time to get big fights and all I want to do is be involved in them.”
IBF world featherweight champion Josh Warrington takes on former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton at the Manchester Arena on December 22nd live on BT Sport Box Office. JJ Metcalf will defend his WBC International super-welterweight title against Liam Williams in support of the main event, while Mark Heffron will challenge for the British middleweight title.
Belfast’s blue chip featherweight prospect Michael Conlan (9-0) also features on the bill along with world flyweight title challenger Paddy Barnes (5-1) and unbeaten Light Heavyweight contender Steven Ward (9-0).
Tickets are priced at £50 Upper Tier, £80 Tier, £100 Tier, £150 Tier, £200 Floor/Tier, £300 Floor, £400 Floor, £600 Inner Ring VIP Hospitality and are available.
Tickets available via Manchester-Arena.com
Warrington: “There Are Not Many Fighters Who Go Straight From One Big Name To Another!”
THE KUDOS OF adding both Lee Selby and Carl Frampton to his win column in 2018 was the key attraction for Josh Warrington in putting his IBF world featherweight title at such significant risk in the first defence of his belt.
Respected champion Selby successfully defended his title five times after winning it with the impressive stoppage of the previously unbeaten Evgeny Gradovich in May 2015. He came unstuck against a rampant Warrington at Elland Road in May and many in the business anticipated the Leeds man taking on a more routine assignment on home turf next time out.
Instead he will venture across to the Manchester Arena on December 22 to tackle two-weight world champion – and current WBO Interim world title holder – Carl Frampton in a BT Sport Box Office spectacular.
If he can add the name of the decorated Frampton to that of Selby it will make for quite a year for the 27-year-old, but he points out that it is about more than just impressive entries on his CV. Warrington wants to prove that he is the best about at the weight in Britain at the moment.
“That is what I’ve been saying to folk, there are not many people that do that,” he stated on his bid for a big win-double.
“There are not many fighters who go straight from one big name to another.
“Obviously it is a massive opportunity for Carl and, as I have said before, we didn’t have to take this fight but I want to prove that I am the best featherweight in the UK. I believe I am and the best way to show it is to fight.
“Carl is also signed up with Frank (Warren) so the fight was easy enough to make and, as Frank says, ‘it’s on!’.”
Arum looking forward to Warrington Frampton fight
LEGENDARY fight promoter Bob Arum believes Josh Warrington and Carl Frampton’s blockbuster battle will live up to expectations.
Warrington’s first defence of his IBF featherweight title at Manchester Arena on December 22 is tipped by many experts to be a classic battle.
Arum has a huge interest in the fight and is in talks with his friend and fellow promoter Frank Warren to match the winner against his WBO champion, Oscar Valdez next year in a unification.
Two-weight world champion Frampton (26-1) has been in brilliant form this year thrashing Nonito Donaire on points and stopping Luke Jackson.
Warrington (27-0) caused one of the biggest upsets of 2018 when he snatched his world crown from Lee Selby in May, in front of 25,000 hometown fans in Leeds.
So it’s easy to see why Arum expects the BT Sport Box Office clash to deliver for the expected 20,000 fans packed into the arena and armchair viewers.
Arum said: “We are looking forward to the Frampton-Warrington fight, which should be a real barnburner.
“Hopefully, we can match the winner with WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez in the spring or summer of 2019.”
Arum is expected to be ringside sitting alongside Warren in Manchester to see his unbeaten featherweight prospect Michael Conlan box.
Conlan (9-0) is a close to his fellow Belfast boxer, Frampton and the pair insist they will never fight each other, but he is a possible future rival for Warrington.
Arum added: ”The addition of Mick Conlan to the card makes it a very attractive presentation on ESPN+ here in the States.”
IBF world featherweight champion Josh Warrington takes on former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton at the Manchester Arena on December 22nd live on BT Sport Box Office. JJ Metcalf will defend his WBC International super-welterweight title against Liam Williams in support of the main event, while Mark Heffron will challenge for the British middleweight title.
Belfast’s blue chip featherweight prospect Michael Conlan (9-0) also features on the bill along with world flyweight title challenger Paddy Barnes (5-1) and unbeaten Light Heavyweight contender Steven Ward (9-0).
Tickets are priced at £50 Upper Tier, £80 Tier, £100 Tier, £150 Tier, £200 Floor/Tier, £300 Floor, £400 Floor, £600 Inner Ring VIP Hospitality and are available.
Tickets available via Manchester-Arena.co
