The featherweights are in action tomorrow night in Leeds, UK, as IBF 126 pound ruler Josh Warrington defends against bitter rival Kid Galahad. The two unbeaten fighters have had a whole lot to say to each other in the run-up to the fight and the bad blood does seem genuine. Both men have vowed to lay it all on the line so as to walk away with the win.
Warrington, speaking with The Mirror, was moved to predict how Galahad, who has got the firm support of former featherweight champ and power-puncher Naseem Hamed, will suffer a similar fate to “The Prince” when he was schooled over 12-rounds by Marco Antonio Barrera in 2001. Warrington lists Barrera as one of his favourite fighters.
“He can talk all he likes about him and Naz, but we all know what happened with Naz,” Warrington said of his Sheffield challenger. “Eventually he came up against one of my favourite fighters in Barrera and he got found out. He got beat and he never recovered. He had a homecoming, it was a stinker and he retired. It’s alright following someone’s path and using someone as an inspiration, but it doesn’t make him like Naz. He’s got a style like Naz, but he hasn’t got the same attributes.”
Galahad, 26-0(15) has the hands-held-low, flashy style Hamed employed, yet he does not carry anywhere near the power Hamed did (not many featherweights have) and Warrington, a man who has a great engine, feels he will outwork him and eventually punish him. It’s an interesting fight and a distance fight looks likely. Warrington, 28-0(6) is no puncher himself, yet he can hit hard enough to get the attention of his opponent (just ask Carl Frampton).
Hamed feels Galahad can rule the division the way he did back in the 1990s and early 2000s, but as Warrington says, Naz can’t help him in the ring. It could be a great fight tomorrow, with a high output of punches thrown, by defending champ Warrington especially.
Most fight fans will be watching the heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Tom Schwarz, but the battle of the little guys could prove to be the fight of the night. Warrington on points for me, perhaps via debatable, controversial decision in his hometown of Leeds.
