Josh Warrington To Defend IBF Featherweight Title In October
IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington’s next title defense is set for this fall.
Though details were scarce when promoter Frank Warren made the announcement on social media, he did reveal that Warrington will return to the ring on October 12. Warren did mention that news on the venue and opponent will be announced at a later date.
— SAVE THE DATE —
IBF World Featherweight Champion @J_Warrington will return on October 12th to defend his crown —
More news to follow on venue, opponent and undercard — #LeedsWarrior pic.twitter.com/WiIkYZkASH
— Frank Warren (@frankwarren_tv) July 26, 2019
The announcement came during a time when WBO champion Oscar Valdez and manager Frank Espinoza publicly stated that they want to face either Warrington or Carl Frampton as a way to keep Valdez at 126 pounds a little longer. Valdez, who has previously noted that he is considering moving up to super featherweight due to problems making weight, was recently ordered to fight mandatory challenger Shakur Stevenson with a purse bid date on August 2.
Warrington has held the IBF title since May 2018 when he defeated Lee Selby in Leeds, England by split decision, capturing his first world title. Afterwards, Warrington would head to Manchester, England and score a unanimous decision win against Frampton last December.
As for his 2019, Warrington signed a co-promotional deal with Top Rank Boxing, who also promote Valdez, and had his only title defense of this year be streamed on ESPN+. That fight, which also took in Leads on June 15, saw him narrowly defeat Kid Galahad by split decision to retain his title. Warrington is ranked in the top five on Fightful’s featherweight rankings which can be seen at this link.
