A dental technician by day and a pro boxer by night, broken teeth are all part of a day’s work for Leeds’ Josh Warrington. Up next against Bristol-based South African, Michael Ramabeletsa, at the Hull City Hall on September 28, Josh knows he’s not in for an easy ride but he’s convinced that, at the final bell, his pearly whites will still be in perfect condition.
“Michael’s been in with some good kids. He boxed Martin Ward, and he gave Josh Wale a really tough fight and broke his jaw. This guy comes to fight, and I’ve read that he’s got himself a new trainer and is confident. So I’m expecting a tough contest, but I should have enough to beat him.
“I’ve been training really hard for this one. I always go into fights very confident but I never look past my opponent because you never know what they might bring but, come fight night, under those lights, it will definitely be my night.”
Warrington takes on Ramabeletsa, who’s won eight of 16 and enters the contest on the back of two wins, for the Masters featherweight strap as part of a quality undercard to a great bill topper. In the headliner, local man, Tommy Coyle, gets the chance to gate-crash the world top 20 rankings if he beats Spain’s Ruddy Encarnacion for the WBC International Silver lightweight title, and Josh, 21, is thrilled to be part of the show.
“I’ve boxed at the City Hall before, and I’ve been there to watch Tommy before too; it’s always a good atmosphere and a great vibe. Tommy sells lots of tickets so there’ll be a lot of people there. It’s a really good venue to box in and I’m really looking forward to fighting there, especially as it’s my first 10 rounder and it’s for a title. It’s exciting and I just can’t wait.”
In a sport as unpredictable as boxing, it’s never wise to look too far into the future and, with a potential English title fight slated for November, Warrington is fully focused on remaining unbeaten and securing win number 13 against Ramabeletsa. At some point in the future though, if they both keep winning, Josh also has his eyes set on a mouth-watering, all-Yorkshire clash against Sheffield’s Kid Galahad – a man he beat twice as an amateur.
“I beat him in the Junior ABAs and on a club show and, given the opportunity, I’d like to fight him again. He’s not easy to box; anyone who doesn’t want to stand and fight, you’ve got to track them down. The first time it was messy but the second time we did our homework and beat him cleaner. I got to know him personally afterwards and he’s a really nice kid so I’ve not got a bad word to say about him.
“I’ve seen him get quite a lot of exposure but he’s only had the same amount of fights as me. Down the line I think it would be a good fight and I’m capable of beating him again. We haven’t rushed things in our camp though; we take every fight as it comes. We’ve had some big fights fall through and at the moment it’s all about continuing to learn my trade, getting experience, and beating Ramabeletsa.”
The show’s exciting undercard will also feature unbeaten fighters: Hull’s Joel ‘Gentleman’ Haigh and Withernsea’s Billy ‘The Kid’ Dawson; as well as Grimsby’s Wayne Bloy. Another Hull fighter, Danny Little, will make his pro-debut. The full list of supporting boxers will be announced shortly.
‘City Hall Showdown 4’ will take place at Hull’s City Hall on September 28. Tickets priced at £20 (Gallery), £30 (General), £45 (Stage/VIP), and £60 (Ringside/VIP) are available from the boxers direct, The Hull City Hall Box Office, The Stevie Smith Boxing Academy, or online at: www.steviesmithboxing.com
Keep updated on VIP Promotions’ news by visiting www.vipboxing.com or follow on Twitter @vipboxing. Currently, you can also watch free fights at www.vipboxing.tv
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