_1648069258.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1)
Josh Warrington is ready for the first defense of his second title reign.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed that Leeds’ Warrington and Mexico’s Luis Alberto Lopez have agreed the terms of their mandatory IBF featherweight title, which will take place on December 10 in Leeds. The fight, which will headline a DAZN telecast, has been speculated on for weeks, even more so after Lopez won his most recent fight earlier this summer and when it became clear there was no path to a more coveted unification fight. .
Salvador ‘Chava’ RodrÃguez of ESPN Deportes was the first to report that an agreement was reached.
The 31-year-old Warrington (31-1-1, 8KOs) regained his IBF title following a seventh-round knockout of Kiko Martinez in his most recent outing on March 26 at First Direct Arena in Leeds.
The feat saw Warrington become a two-time IBF featherweight champion, having previously held the belt from May 2018 until last January 21, when he opted to vacate the belt rather than an undesirable rematch with challenger Mandatory Kid Galahad. The move came with its share of setbacks, as Warrington suffered a stunning ninth-round stoppage loss to Mauricio ‘Bronco’ Lara last February 13 at Wembley Arena (now OVO Arena Wembley), with the two fighting to a draw. two-round technician. in his rematch on September 4 at Headingley Rugby League Stadium in Leeds.
Lopez (26-2, 15 KOs) became the mandatory challenger after knocking out unbeaten Isaac Lowe, a stablemate of lineal/WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, in their featherweight title eliminator in the seventh round. of the IBF last December at York Hall in Bethnal Green, England. . The feat followed an equally impressive ten-round shutout of then-undefeated Gabriel Flores Jr. last September in Tucson, Arizona.
Both wins are part of a nine-fight win streak for the 29-year-old Mexicali native, who has won his last three inside the distance. In his most recent start, Lopez scored a second-round knockout of Yeison Vargas in a fight meant to keep busy on Aug. 20 in San Diego. The quick hit allowed Lopez, who is promoted by Top Rank, to enjoy a quick turnaround without having to wait until 2023 for his first career title fight.
Warrington put up three successful title defenses during his first reign. The most notable was a December 2018 twelve-round unanimous decision win over former two-division champion Carl Frampton in Manchester, England.
Previous efforts were made following Warrington’s win over Martinez to land a fight with secondary WBA champion Leigh Wood in what would have been a massive domestic fight. However, such a fight would have required Wood to receive an upgrade to full champion or vacate his belt.
Wood has since been instructed to face WBA ‘Super’ featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz, although the two managed to convince the sanctioning body to allow separate fights before entering the title-consolidation clash. Nottingham’s Wood was due to face Lara this weekend in her home town, but a biceps injury forced him out of the show.
Regardless, Warrington was always prepared to move on to his mandatory title defense once it became clear that a bigger fight would not immediately follow.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
