Josh Warrington regains featherweight international identify after preventing Kiko Martinez
Josh Warrington have become a -time international champion after stopping Spain’s Kiko Martinez in spherical seven in Leeds to regain the IBF featherweight name.
Warrington, 31, reclaimed the identical IBF crown he misplaced 14 months ago in thrilling style, blitzing a difficult and sturdy protecting champion to the delight of a partisan, promote-out crowd at the First Direct Arena.
Martinez, who in some way survived a first-round knockdown and turned into badly cut above his left eye, came underneath a barrage of heavy punches within the seventh and the referee stopped the competition mins and 12 seconds into the spherical.
Kiko Martinez v Josh Warrington – First Direct Arena
Josh Warrington knocked down Kiko Martinez early in the contest (Martin Rickett/PA)
Warrington proved his critics wrong with a whirlwind display in front of his raucous army of enthusiasts, catapulting again to the top of his weight department and setting a wretched 2021 at the back of him in style.
‘The Leeds Warrior’ released a ferocious assault on Martinez from the opening bell.
A vicious proper hook landed flush on Martinez’s chin and sent him to the canvas. He rose to his ft after a rely of eight earlier than a cut opened up above his left eye, near his nostril.
The defending champion got here beneath critical stress inside the 2d round as the Leeds crowd roared Warrington directly to what they was hoping might be an early victory.
Kiko Martinez v Josh Warrington – First Direct Arena
Martinez recovered from an early setback but Warrington proved too robust and claimed the title (Martin Rickett/PA)
But Martinez proved he is as hard as a walnut. He weathered the typhoon and regarded to get back in the fight as Warrington eased off the pedal.
Warrington had his opponent at the ropes again in the fourth spherical and a sequence of pumping rights in the fifth cranked the area again as much as full volume.
Martinez became sluggish to come out for the sixth as his cut eye was tended to and ended the spherical nodding in appreciation after being stuck with the aid of every other ramrod right on the cease of it.
Warrington sensed it changed into his time and hurled himself at the Spaniard at the begin of the 7th, trapping him on the ropes and pummelling him to a standstill before the referee stepped in to give up the fight.
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The Yorkshireman bounced lower back from his first profession defeat and a technical attract his previous fights, each towards speedy-emerging Mexican Mauricio Lara.
Kiko Martinez v Josh Warrington – First Direct Arena
Warrington’s win could set up a contest with Leigh Wood (Martin Rickett/PA)
Warrington had dropped down his weight division’s pecking order, however after seeing off Martinez for a 2nd time – he beat him on factors on the identical venue in 2017 – he has recaptured the IBF belt and now has even larger prizes in his points of interest.
An all-British showdown in opposition to Nottingham’s Leigh Wood at Elland Road or the City Ground has been mooted, as have States-side unification fights towards WBC champion Mark Magsayo or WBO belt-holder Emanuel Navarrete.
Earlier on the undercard, Ebanie Bridges won the IBF bantamweight identify at the second try after beating Argentina’s Maria Cecilia Roman on points.
Bridges, ‘The Blonde Bomber’, received a interesting contest with all three judges scoring in her favour – 100-ninety one, 97-93, 97-93 – after she refused to take a backward step.
Doncaster’s Maxi Hughes retained his IBO light-weight identify with a unanimous points win towards Rochdale’s Ryan Walsh.
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