Josh Warrington puts his IBF featherweight title on the line against Kid Galahad in what could be a thrilling all-British encounter on Saturday night.
Warrington has defied expectation en route to becoming a world champion. Few predicted him to snatch the title away from Lee Selby last May.
Even fewer expected him to successfully defend it against Carl Frampton in December.
But after that phenomenal 2018, the Leeds fighter will relinquish that underdog status when he takes on mandatory challenger Galahad – who admits Saturday will be a career-defining night for him.
Like Warrington, he comes into the fight with an unblemished record with the two Yorkshire men boasting near-identical professional numbers – although Galahad boasts more than double the number of KO wins.
Warrington’s stunning rise has him tipped as the favourite – but Galahad will be out to put on a show-stopping performance akin to the one his opponent provided at Elland Road last year to win his first world title.
Date, UK start time and venue
Warrington vs Galahad takes place on Saturday 15 July at the First Direct Arena in the champion's hometown of Leeds.
Undercard coverage begins at 8pm with the main event pencilled in for the usual 10:30pm slot.
TV channel and live stream
The fight will be televised live on BT Sport 1.
BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
Betting odds | Provided by Betfair | Subject to change (UK and Ireland only)
Fight odds:
- Warrington to win: 3/10
- Galahad to win: 5/2
- Draw: 20/1
Method of victory:
- Warrington to win via points or decision: 4/6
- Warrington to win via KO/TKO: 4/1
- Galahad to win via points or decision: 10/3
- Galahad to win via KO/TKO: 12/1
Click here for more betting odds.
Prediction
While Warrington doesn’t possess the one-punch power needed to rack up KOs, his superb engine sets him apart.
The champion to defend his belt via decision.
Undercard
- Zelfa Barrett vs Lyon Woodstock Jr (Commonwealth super featherweight title)
- James Metcalf vs Jason Welborn (Commonwealth super welterweight title)
- Lyndon Arthur vs Andrezej Soldra (light heavyweight)
- Troy Williamson vs Edwin Palacios (middlweight)
- Alex Dickinson vs Kamil Sokolowski (heavyweight)
- Jack Bateson vs Bayardo Ramos (featherweight)
- Mark Heffron vs Daniel Urbanski (middleweight)
- Jack McGann vs Kevin McCauley (middleweight)
- Shakiel Thompson vs Alistair Warren (middlweight)
