It has long been known that the next time IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington fights, it will be against his mandatory challenger, Luis Alberto Lopez.
However, when he did not know when and where until now. The two teams have agreed to fight in Leeds, England on December 10. DAZN will broadcast the fight.
Warrington (31-1-1, 8 KOs) regained his IBF 126-pound title with a bloody seventh-round knockout of Kiko Martinez in March. The victory had a cost. The 31-year-old suffered a broken jaw and hand injury, meaning a prolonged absence from the ring.
Warrington, who is ranked No. 5 by The Ring at 126 pounds, followed the traditional route of winning British, Commonwealth and European championships before defeating IBF champion Lee Selby (SD 12).
The hugely popular Leeds-born fighter made three defenses, notably reversing challenges from Carl Frampton (UD 12) and Kid Galahad (SD 12).
He vacated his title rather than face Galahad a second time and got rid of Lara (TKO 9). The rematch was cut short at the end of the second round due to a clash of heads. He later regained his IBF title.
Lopez (26-2, 15 KOs) turned pro in 2015. He suffered losses at the hands of Abraham Montoya (SD 10) and future world title challenger Ruben Villa (UD 10). However, those results hardened El Venado’s determination and were good learning curves.
The 29-year-old Mexican stopped undefeated Cristian Baez (TKO 5), outpointed former contender Andy Vences (SD 10), dominated touted prospect Gabriel Flores Jr. (UD 10), and then became the IBF’s mandatory challenger at impressively stop Isaac Lowe (TKO 7) in England. Since then, he has stayed active with two wins while patiently waiting for his world title shot.
Although Warrington will be cheered, as always, by his raucous crowd, Lopez has fought and won in England and should offer strong opposition, in what is expected to be an exciting and fan-friendly encounter.
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