Josh Warrington vs. Sofiane Takoucht - 12 October 2019

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

It’s s voluntary.. who do we see him fight vex who should he fight?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Josh Warrington will once again fight at home when he returns to the ring in the autumn.

And in an exclusive interview with the host broadcaster, his promoter Frank has stated that Warrington will be back at the scene of his last victory, with the fight likely to be screened on the same platform.

The opponent and undercard for the fight has yet to be confirmed, though Boxing Scene understands that the English super-bantamweight title clash between champion Michael Ramabeletsa and challenger Jack Bateson could feature among the supporting cast.

Warrington has long called for Stateside showdowns against the likes of WBO champion Oscar Valdez and WBA Super titlist Leo Santa Cruz, specifically since retaining his title against former two-weight champion Carl Frampton at Manchester Arena last December.

Frampton will look to bounce back from defeat against Warrington on August 10, at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, against former Jordan Gill foe Emmanuel Dominguez over 10 rounds, exclusively live on ESPN+.

Valdez has been mentioned as a potential opponent for Frampton, should he come through his return, but a unification with Warrington has also been mooted.

However, the WBO have thrown a spanner into the works by ordering a mandatory defence for Valdez against Shakur Stevenson.

You can watch Frank's full BT Sport interview at http://bit.ly/2SNRJQM.

[maley1984]

Jazza dickens recently went into the top 15 with ibf my monies on him.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jazza dickens recently went into the top 15 with ibf my monies on him.

Good one.

[mickey1975]

And Jack does about a thousand tickets...

[3132DW]

Will be weakest/cheapest available to keep the Leeds money train going,

[Ruthless-RKO]

And Jack does about a thousand tickets...

jack who?

[magnus]

Jack Bateson (mentioned in the press release).

[mickey1975]

Jack Bateson (mentioned in the press release).

And a serious am.

[maley1984]

Will be weakest/cheapest available to keep the Leeds money train going,

Surely warrington due a soft defence. Beat selby then chose frampton as a voluntary and a mandatory win.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Will be weakest/cheapest available to keep the Leeds money train going,

Surely warrington due a soft defence. Beat selby then chose frampton as a voluntary and a mandatory win.

Yh. That’s why it’s in Leeds also. They have their own arena now where the hooligans can all get together.

Who was the last boxer from Leeds to win a world title?

Might as well start milking a little. He’s fought 3 good name opponents. Beaten them all. Not saying he should have soft touches. But voluntary defences are usually picked from top 10-15.. hardly ever inside the top 10, unless you've agreed a big money fight (Frampton)

[maley1984]

Surely warrington due a soft defence. Beat selby then chose frampton as a voluntary and a mandatory win.

Yh. That’s why it’s in Leeds also. They have their own arena now where the hooligans can all get together.

Who was the last boxer from Leeds to win a world title?

Might as well start milking a little. He’s fought 3 good name opponents. Beaten them all. Not saying he should have soft touches. But voluntary defences are usually picked from top 10-15.. hardly ever inside the top 10, unless you've agreed a big money fight (Frampton)

Warrington has been a big ticket seller b4 he won the world title. Why wud not build him at home. If their was a unification fight avaible they wud defo travel as their doesn't seem to be at the moment another fight at home is the biggest sense paid day and keep active

[Fortynineandout]

Unfortunately for Warrington it appears his team have been unable at this time to deliver the big fight he craves stateside so it makes sense to keep him active at home.
The date is ideal to maximise sales in that Leeds United don’t have a match that weekend as it’s an international break.
However it may not be an easy sell Imo in that the last fight was such a let down and anti climax on the back of magnificent action packed performances against Selby and Frampton.
Galahad wasn’t interested in having a fight , spoiling and in survival mode from start to finish. He stunk The place out with his tactics and there was a noticeable feeling of great disappointment from the punters leaving the arena that night . In no way was Josh to blame but It’s not a cheap night out . I hope the fans give him another chance , he’s earned it !

[Ruthless-RKO]

Yh. That’s why it’s in Leeds also. They have their own arena now where the hooligans can all get together.

Who was the last boxer from Leeds to win a world title?

Might as well start milking a little. He’s fought 3 good name opponents. Beaten them all. Not saying he should have soft touches. But voluntary defences are usually picked from top 10-15.. hardly ever inside the top 10, unless you've agreed a big money fight (Frampton)

Warrington has been a big ticket seller b4 he won the world title. Why wud not build him at home. If their was a unification fight avaible they wud defo travel as their doesn't seem to be at the moment another fight at home is the biggest sense paid day and keep active

It saying he shouldn’t fight on his door step. He should make the most of it.

[THEBUTCH]

I hope it's not Dickens. That's a poor match.

3 Brits on the trot in word title fights, it's time expand Warrington's horizon.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Featherweight world titlist Josh Warrington will defend his belt for the third time when he meets Sofiane Takoucht on Oct. 12 in a hometown defense at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England, promoter allegedly announced on Wednesday.

The fight, which will stream live in the United States on ESPN+, was formally announced at a news conference in Leeds, where Warrington will fight for the ninth time in his past 10 bouts.

The fight also figures to represent at least somewhat of a breather for Warrington (29-0, 6 KOs), whose past three fights have come against top opponents, all decisions, against Lee Selby to win the 126-pound belt 15 months ago, former two-division titlist Carl Frampton in December and dangerous mandatory challenger Kid Galahad on June 15.

Takoucht (35-3-1, 13 KOs), 33, a southpaw from France, has yet to face a top opponent, though he has won eight fights in a row -- albeit against very low-level opposition, including foes with records such as 31-97-4, 4-19-2, 3-9 and 10-15-1 during that stretch.

He said he has no problem traveling to fight Warrington in his hometown.

"When the call came to travel to Leeds and challenge Josh I said yes straight away," Takoucht said. "It's a chance to beat the best featherweight in the world. He beat Lee Selby when nobody thought he could win and then a great fighter, Carl Frampton. It was close against Kid Galahad, but he found a way to win. I am sure he will look at me and think I am easier than his last three opponents, but I won't let this opportunity go. Get ready for a shock."

Warrington, 28, said that despite Takoucht's thin resume, which somehow got him ranked No. 4 in the IBF rankings, he will not look past him.

"From what I've seen, Takoucht is tough and got his IBF ranking through hard work," Warrington said. "This is a massive opportunity for him. I have to stay focused and not take my eye off the ball because I am after the biggest fights in the division."

Promoter allegedly said he would have liked to work with Top Rank to make a title unification fight between Warrington and Mexico's Oscar Valdez, but Valdez last week elected to vacate his belt and move up in weight after six defenses rather than make a mandatory defense against Shakur Stevenson.

"We wanted to make the Oscar Valdez unification fight for Josh, but (Valdez) is giving up the WBO title and moving up in weight," Frampton said. "I know how much Josh wants the WBA champion Leo Santa Cruz but he doesn't seem keen right now. If you look at the IBF ratings No. 1 and 2 are vacant and Takoucht was pretty much the next available contender."

Warren also announced that the card will include Zelfa Barrett (22-1,13 KOs), 26, of England, who will make the first defense of his Commonwealth junior lightweight title against Jordan McCorry (18-6-4, 4 KOs), 28, of Scotland.

[MightyWarrior]

Unfortunate his name is an anagram for soft touch

[Ruthless-RKO]

Unfortunate his name is an anagram for soft touch

French boxer who hasn’t really stepped up. Josh might just stop him.. at least it isn’t Dickens.

[Twinkle Toes]

Gotta hand it to Frank he drags them in from anywhere.

Shoulda made this fight for the 25th December it's a fookin gift.

[THEBUTCH]

It'll have to do this time and to be fair Selby & Frampton were great wins and Galahad was a mandatory to get out of the way, which he did just that.

I would certainly expect a marked improvement after this French guy.

[margaret thatcher]

I took note of Takoucht recently for having one of the numerically fanciest records of guys I'd never heard of. He's a bit like a lower level Guillume Frenois.

But Selby, Frampton, and Galahad in a year, hell go for it Josh, you earned soft Sof mate.

[magnus]

Normally, I'd slag this type of match-up right off. However, you can't dispute that Warrington has fought quality opposition in his last few, and hasn't had a massive lay off since the Galahad bout.

Plus, in a division with Russell and Santa Cruz piling up the underwhelming defences, this doesn't seem out of the ordinary.

[margaret thatcher]

Ya, TBH I feel like soft fights can be legitimately earned through a combo of good fights + activity

[Ruthless-RKO]

Josh said he tried getting Valdez or LSC before settling for this.