by The IBF welterweight title is on the line today as Josh Warrington puts his belt on the line in a showdown with Luis Alberto Lopez.
The 32-year-old will defend his title in front of home support in Leeds, his first defense since regaining the belt from Kiko Martinez in March.
Warrington has expressed his desire to move on to more lucrative paydays further afield, although he stresses he won’t get too far ahead of himself.
Lopez won his world title shot by defeating Isaac Lowe last year and won 26 of 28 fights, 15 of which came by knockout.
Saturday promises to be a big night in Leeds. The main support sees Ebanie Bridges meet Shannon O’Connell in a grudge match, a bout Eddie Hearn has hailed as the greatest women’s fight in Australian boxing history.
The card will be split in two to allow those in attendance to watch the World Cup clash between England and France, with the undercard running from 13:30 GMT to 19:00 before resuming after football at 21:00.
Warrington vs Lopez date, start time, venue and ring walks
What Warrington hopes will be his last Leeds fight for a while will take place on Saturday 10 December 2022 at the First Direct Arena.
The undercard will begin at 1.30pm, with ring walks for the main event expected to begin around 10.30pm following the England game.
Full Warrington vs Lopez combat card/undercard
Josh Warrington versus Luis Alberto López
Ebanie Bridges versus Shannon O’Connell
Felix Cash versus Celso Neves
JJ Metcalf v Courtney Pennington
Koby McNamara vs. Nabil Ahmed
Shannon Courtenay vs Gemma Ruegg
Cory O’Regan versus Antonio Rodriguez
Hopey Price versus Jonathan Santana
Junaid Bostan versus Athanasios Glynos
Rhiannon Dixon vs. Kristine Shergold
How to watch Warrington vs Lopez
TV channel: The event will be broadcast live on DAZN – a subscription to which costs £7.99 a month in the UK – with the main card from around 9pm.
For those wanting to watch previous fights, ‘Before the Bell’ airs at 6pm on the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel and DAZN app.
Live broadcast: The DAZN app will offer live streaming for phones, tablets and other devices.
Fight prediction between Warrington and Lopez
Warrington is looking for a win before he can move on to more lucrative fights, perhaps in America.
Lopez, however, never stopped despite his two losses. If Warrington is to keep his belt, he’ll have to find the kind of power many suggest he hasn’t shown thus far.
It will be difficult, but Warrington’s home support could be a huge factor.
Warrington wins on points.
Warrington vs Lopez weigh-in results
Warrington tipped the scales on Friday before an intense final showdown at 125.3lbs, with Lopez the slightly lighter man at 124.3lbs.
Warrington marked 125.7 pounds for the Martinez fight in March.
Latest Warrington vs Lopez Odds
Warrington win: 4/6
Lopez wins: 5/4
Draw: 16/1
Warrington win by decision/technical decision: Evens
Warrington wins by KO, TKO or disqualification: 6/1
Lopez wins by decision/technical decision: 5/1
Lopez wins by KO, TKO or SQ: 10/23
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
