Britain’s insanely popular featherweight contender Josh Warrington (21-0, 4ko) goes to battle in Leeds tonight in a defence of the Commonwealth title, against Australia’s Joel Brunker, in what will represent the toughest test of the Yorkshireman’s career to date.
The relatively intriguing headline fight at the First Direct Arena, is carrying an otherwise average-at-best card, and Warrington will need to be at his very best if he is to prevail against the dangerous former Olympian, whose sole blemish is a stoppage loss to current IBF 126lb champion, Lee Selby, 10 months ago.
“The last time he was over here he lost to Lee Selby, the IBF world champion, so he’s going to want to prove a point,” Warrington said.
“He’s hungry and, like I say, he wants to come to win, so that means I’ve got to be 100 % on my game and I can’t let it slip.”
Warrington, with a modest knockout ratio of just 19%, last went the distance with Dennis Tuberion back in April, a fighter destroyed by emerging domestic rival Mitchell Smith inside a round three months later, although Warrington is seemingly uninterested in a clash with the man he calls a “P4P di**head,” and thinks, if he comes through tonight, he has outgrown domestic level.
“If I get through this, which I’m very confident of doing, then I think I can step on to the big world stage,” the British and European champ said, hinting at a potential fight with Welshman, Selby – who in the eyes of many – is still clearly a level above.
However, a strong showing against Brunker tonight, a come-forward fighter with a more than respectable dig, will go some way toward showing that Warrington is capable of mixing it at the top, although he surely knows – unlike many of his passionate fans – that victory is NOT a foregone conclusion.
He is going to have to work very hard for it.
Twitter @Undilutedpoison
