Josh Warrington facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Josh Warrington
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Leeds Warrior
Rated at	Featherweight Super-featherweight
Height	5 ft 7 in
Reach	67 in
Born	(1990-11-14) 14 November 1990 (age 34) Leeds, England
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	36
Wins	31
Wins by KO	8
Losses	4
Draws	1

Josh Warrington (born 14 November 1990) is an English professional boxer. He is known as "The Leeds Warrior." Josh has been a featherweight world champion twice, holding the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title between 2018 and 2022.

In 2018, a documentary film called Fighting for a City was released. It followed Josh for two years as he worked to win the IBF title. The film showed his journey to fight in his hometown at Elland Road Stadium, which is the home of Leeds United.

Josh Warrington's Boxing Journey

Starting His Career

Josh Warrington began his professional boxing career in 2009. He won his very first fight in October against Delroy Spencer. He also won his next two fights, showing a strong start.

Throughout 2010 and 2011, Josh kept winning all his fights. He stayed undefeated, winning against boxers like Steve Gethin and Ian Bailey. Most of these early wins were decided by points, meaning the judges scored them.

In November 2012, Josh won his first professional title. He defeated Chris Male to become the English featherweight champion. This important fight took place in Dudley.

Defending His English Title

On 22 March 2013, Josh successfully defended his English featherweight title for the first time. He won against Jamie Speight in Leeds. All the judges agreed that Josh was the clear winner.

Later that year, on 27 September, Josh defended his English title again. He beat Ian Bailey for the second time in his career. This fight was held at Elland Road Stadium in Leeds.

Winning the Commonwealth Title

On 2 November 2013, Josh won another big title. He defeated Samir Mouneimne to become the Commonwealth featherweight champion. This fight was his first time fighting on a Matchroom Boxing show.

Big Fights and New Deals (2014-2016)

First Commonwealth Title Defense

In April 2014, Josh defended his Commonwealth title against Rendall Munroe. Josh won the fight in the seventh round when Munroe's team stopped the fight. Munroe later retired from boxing.

Adding the British Title

Soon after, Josh fought Martin Lindsay for the vacant British featherweight title. He also defended his Commonwealth title in this fight. Josh won by a unanimous decision, meaning all judges scored in his favor.

Signing a Major Deal

In August 2014, Josh signed a five-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing. This was a big step for his career. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, said Josh was selling more tickets than any other boxer in the country.

Becoming European Champion

On 4 October 2014, Josh won the EBU European featherweight title. He defeated Davide Dieli from Italy. Josh won this title by stopping his opponent in the fourth round.

Moving Towards World Titles

In 2015, Josh continued his winning streak. He defeated Edwin Tellez in February. Then, in April, he won the vacant WBC International featherweight title by beating Dennis Tubieron. This fight was a world title eliminator, meaning the winner would be closer to a world title shot.

In September 2015, Josh defended his WBC International and Commonwealth titles against Joel Brunker. He won by unanimous decision.

In 2016, Josh defended his WBC International title twice more. He beat Hisashi Amagasa and then Patrick Hyland. He won the Hyland fight by technical knockout.

Changing Promoters

In December 2016, Josh left Matchroom Boxing. He then signed a new deal with rival British promoter Frank Warren. Warren promised to help Josh get his first world title shot.

Becoming a World Champion (2017-2019)

Road to the World Title

In May 2017, Josh fought Kiko Martínez. He won by a majority decision, keeping his WBC International title.

In October 2017, Josh fought Dennis Ceylan in a final eliminator for the IBF world title. This meant the winner would get to challenge for the world championship. Josh won by technical knockout in the tenth round. After the fight, he called out the champion, Lee Selby, for a fight at Elland Road.

Winning the IBF World Title

On 19 May 2018, Josh Warrington had his first world title fight against IBF world champion Lee Selby. The fight took place at Elland Road Stadium in Leeds, Josh's hometown. Former Leeds United player Lucas Radebe walked with Josh to the ring, and the band Kaiser Chiefs performed.

Josh won the fight by a split decision, becoming the IBF featherweight world champion. This was a huge moment for him and his city.

Defending Against Carl Frampton

On 22 December 2018, Josh defended his IBF title against Carl Frampton. Many people thought this would be the "fight of the year." Josh won by unanimous decision after 12 rounds, keeping his world title.

More Title Defenses

In 2019, Josh defended his IBF featherweight championship two more times. On 15 June, he beat Kid Galahad in a tough fight in Leeds. Then, on 12 October, he defeated Sofiane Takoucht by TKO in the second round. This was his 13th professional fight in his hometown.

Recent Fights (2021-Present)

First Loss to Mauricio Lara

After being inactive for over a year, Josh faced Mauricio Lara on 13 February 2021. No title was on the line because Josh had given up his IBF title a month before. Lara, a young Mexican boxer, was not well-known. Josh was knocked down in the fourth round and again in the ninth. The referee stopped the fight, giving Josh his first professional loss. This was a big upset in the boxing world.

Rematch with Lara

On 14 July 2021, it was announced that Josh and Lara would have a rematch. The fight took place on 4 September at Headingley Stadium in Leeds. The fight ended in a technical draw after only two rounds. Lara got a bad cut above his eye from an accidental head clash, and the fight had to be stopped.

Winning Back and Losing the IBF Title

On 26 March 2022, Josh fought Kiko Martínez again and won the IBF featherweight title for the second time. He won by TKO in the seventh round.

However, on 10 December 2022, Josh lost his IBF featherweight title to Luis Alberto Lopez by a majority decision.

Recent Challenges

In October 2023, Josh challenged Leigh Wood for the WBA featherweight title but lost by TKO in the seventh round. Most recently, in September 2024, he lost to Anthony Cacace for the IBO super-featherweight title.

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
36 fights	31 wins	4 losses
By knockout	8	2
By decision	23	2
Draws	1

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
36	Loss	31–4–1	Anthony Cacace	UD	12	21 Sep 2024	Wembley Stadium, London, England	For IBO super-featherweight title
35	Loss	31–3–1	Leigh Wood	TKO	7 (12), 3:00	7 Oct 2023	Utilita Arena Sheffield, Sheffield, England	For WBA featherweight title
34	Loss	31–2–1	Luis Alberto Lopez	MD	12	10 Dec 2022	First Direct Arena, Leeds, England	Lost IBF featherweight title
33	Win	31–1–1	Kiko Martínez	TKO	7 (12), 2:12	26 Mar 2022	First Direct Arena, Leeds, England	Won IBF featherweight title
32	Draw	30–1–1	Mauricio Lara	TD	2 (12), 3:00	4 Sep 2021	Headingley Stadium, Leeds, England	Fight stopped after Lara cut from an accidental head clash
31	Loss	30–1	Mauricio Lara	TKO	9 (12), 0:54	13 Feb 2021	Wembley Arena, London, England
30	Win	30–0	Sofiane Takoucht	TKO	2 (12), 2:54	12 Oct 2019	First Direct Arena, Leeds, England	Retained IBF featherweight title
29	Win	29–0	Kid Galahad	SD	12	15 Jun 2019	First Direct Arena, Leeds, England	Retained IBF featherweight title
28	Win	28–0	Carl Frampton	UD	12	22 Dec 2018	Manchester Arena, Manchester, England	Retained IBF featherweight title
27	Win	27–0	Lee Selby	SD	12	19 May 2018	Elland Road, Leeds, England	Won IBF featherweight title
26	Win	26–0	Dennis Ceylan	TKO	10 (12), 1:43	21 Oct 2017	First Direct Arena, Leeds, England
25	Win	25–0	Kiko Martínez	MD	12	13 May 2017	First Direct Arena, Leeds, England	Retained WBC International featherweight title
24	Win	24–0	Patrick Hyland	TKO	9 (12), 0:45	30 Jul 2016	First Direct Arena, Leeds, England
23	Win	23–0	Hisashi Amagasa	UD	12	16 Apr 2016	First Direct Arena, Leeds, England	Retained WBC International featherweight title
22	Win	22–0	Joel Brunker	UD	12	5 Sep 2015	First Direct Arena, Leeds, England	Retained WBC International and Commonwealth featherweight titles
21	Win	21–0	Dennis Tubieron	UD	12	11 Apr 2015	First Direct Arena, Leeds, England	Won vacant WBC International featherweight title
20	Win	20–0	Edwin Tellez	TKO	5 (8), 1:51	21 Feb 2015	Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin, Germany
19	Win	19–0	Davide Dieli	TKO	4 (12), 1:42	4 Oct 2014	First Direct Arena, Leeds, England	Won vacant European featherweight title
18	Win	18–0	Martin Lindsay	UD	12	21 May 2014	First Direct Arena, Leeds, England	Retained Commonwealth featherweight title; Won British featherweight title
17	Win	17–0	Rendall Munroe	RTD	7 (12), 3:00	19 Apr 2014	Manchester Arena, Manchester, England	Retained Commonwealth featherweight title
16	Win	16–0	Samir Mouneimne	TKO	12 (12), 1:27	2 Nov 2013	Hull Ice Arena, Hull, England	Won vacant Commonwealth featherweight title
15	Win	15–0	Ian Bailey	UD	10	27 Sep 2013	Elland Road, Leeds, England	Retained English featherweight title
14	Win	14–0	Jamie Speight	UD	10	22 Mar 2013	Town Hall, Leeds, England	Retained English featherweight title
13	Win	13–0	Chris Male	UD	10	9 Nov 2012	The Venue, Dudley, England	Won vacant English featherweight title
12	Win	12–0	Ibrar Riyaz	PTS	4	2 Jun 2012	Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester, England
11	Win	11–0	Dan Naylor	PTS	6	3 Mar 2012	Hillsborough Leisure Centre, Sheffield, England
10	Win	10–0	Ian Bailey	PTS	4	18 Dec 2011	De Vere Whites Hotel, Bolton, England
9	Win	9–0	Dougie Curran	PTS	6	22 Oct 2011	De Vere Whites, Bolton, England
8	Win	8–0	Marc Callaghan	PTS	6	28 Apr 2011	City Hall, Hull, England
7	Win	7–0	Chris Riley	PTS	6	9 Apr 2011	Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton-le-Spring
6	Win	6–0	Steve Gethin	PTS	4	22 Jan 2011	Doncaster Dome, Doncaster, England
5	Win	5–0	Youssef al-Hamidi	PTS	4	2 Oct 2010	Elland Road, Leeds, England
4	Win	4–0	John Riley	PTS	4	28 May 2010	Leisure Centre, Huddersfield, England
3	Win	3–0	Danny McDermid	PTS	4	5 Mar 2010	Leisure Centre, Huddersfield, England
2	Win	2–0	Pavels Senkovs	PTS	4	20 Dec 2009	De Vere Whites Hotel, Bolton, England
1	Win	1–0	Delroy Spencer	PTS	4	31 Oct 2009	Leisure Centre, Huddersfield, England

Josh's Team and Life

His Boxing Team

Josh Warrington was first signed with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing. In 2016, he moved to Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions. He later rejoined Matchroom in February 2020. His father, Sean O'Hagan, is his trainer. Steve Wood manages Josh through VIP Boxing.

Personal Life

Josh Warrington is married to Natasha, and they have twin daughters. When he was younger, he faced some challenges in school. However, with his father's advice, he re-took his exams. He then went on to attend the University of Leeds and earned a degree in 2013.