By Charles Brun: IBF Featherweight Champion Josh Warrington will defend against IBF No. 1 Luis Alberto Lopez on DAZN on December 10.
This is not the kind of fight that will attract many new DAZN subscribers in the US, as casual boxing fans don’t know who Warrington is. Hardcore fans are still waiting to see Warrington show some courage as he tries to avenge his knockout loss to Mauricio Lara.
Warrington (31-1-1, 8 KOs) and Lopez (26-2, 15 KOs) will headline the First Direct Arena in Leeds.
Lopez isn’t much of a puncher, but he has technical skills that could draw attacks on Warrington. Of course, fighting Warrington in Leeds could make it difficult for Lopez to make a decision.
Lopez’s best wins have been against Gabriel Flores Jr, Isaac Lowe and Andy Vences. His two losses have come to Rubén Villa and Abraham Montoya.
The fact that Warrington is defending against the 29-year-old Lopez suggests that his promoters at Matchroom have already given him a good look and deemed it a safe fight for the Leeds native.
If Lopez were seen as a real threat to the 31-year-old Warrington, the fight would not be happening. He would be overlooked, as we see with Mauricio Lara. The heavy-hitting Lara destroyed Warrington in his first fight and then got headbutted like crazy in his rematch last September.
After Warrington’s bad experience against Lara, it’s reasonable to assume his promoters will play it safe with him and only match him against guys who aren’t a threat to beat him.
Lopez lacks the power on his shots to trouble Warrington like Lara did, so in other words, he’s perfect for him.
However, this is not the fight boxing fans want to see from Warrington as they want him to face Mauricio Lara again to try to avenge his knockout loss in February 2021.
After Warrington’s headbutting display that cut Lara to pieces in their rematch, it’s safe to assume Josh will never fight him again. The fight was ruled a two-round technical draw, and that appears to be a good enough result for Warrington.
Last March, Warrington scored a rare knockout by knocking out Kiko Martinez in the seventh round in a fight in Leeds. Kiko was cut first for head clashes with Warrington before being eliminated.
