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Josh Warrington 30-1-1 (7) has revealed his shock when he learned that Kiko Martinez 43-10-2 (30) had defeated Kid Galahad 28-2 (17) to become the IBF featherweight champion of the world.
The 31-year-old from Leeds was expecting an easy victory for Galahad, but veteran Spaniard Martinez had other ideas. The 36-year-old was cut over the right eye in the third round, but never wavered in his attack. Galahad down late in the fifth round and TKO’d by a right to the chin at the start of the sixth.
Now Warrington is set to take on Martinez in a rematch of their 2017 battle that he won by majority decision with scores of 116-112 twice and 114-114. The bout will take place at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England on Saturday night.
“So I’m in the takeaway, I get my phone out, I’m on Twitter, I see that Alex Arthur put, ‘Kiko looks shaky in round one,’ Warrington later said. “I thought, ‘I know where this is gonna go, it’s gonna be an easy night’.
“So I jumped in the car and thought, ‘I might stick it on’, but for some reason the car radio wasn’t working. And then I get about half a mile from my house and there’s something going on – my phone’s gone absolutely nuts.
“I had about 40 messages, ‘Are you watching the boxing Josh?’ I rush into my house and my missus turns round and goes, ‘Kiko’s champion’. I dropped my kebab all over the carpet. I had a doner kebab – it was chilli sauce all over the furniture. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”
Warrington has vowed not to underestimate Martinez after he suffered his own upset defeat to unheralded Mexican Mauricio Lara 24-2-1 (17) just over a year ago.
In that bout Warrington started well enough before being dropped in the fourth and wilting in the ninth against the relentless onslaught of Lara.
Their immediate rematch seven months later was declared a technical draw after Lara was cut over the left eye in the second round by an accidental head clash.
The experience taught him to never underestimate anyone, least of all Martinez.
“He’s always dangerous,’ said Warrington, who holds a 2019 split decision victory over Galahad. “I’ve got to be massively switched on because what he did against Galahad goes to show that if I’m not switched on, it’s good night Vienna.
“Timing, speed and reactions die off but punch power doesn’t. That was testament to it right there.
“I’ve learned that in the last 18 months more than anyone. Look at the first Lara fight, being too cocky, overlooking an opponent, thinking something was a given and ended up getting stopped in nine rounds.
“I don’t want that to happen again and it won’t be happening this time.”
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