Former IBF featherweight champion Josh ‘The Leeds Warrior’ Warrington 30-1 (7) is looking forward to avenging his shock loss to Mexican Mauricio ‘Bronco’ Lara 23-2 (16) at Headingley Rugby League Stadium in Leeds, England on Saturday night.
The 30-year-old Warrington weighed in at 125¾ pounds for the 12 round contest while Lara, 23, scaled 125½ pounds.
In their first bout at Wembley Stadium in London in February the unheralded Lara dropped hometown hero Warrington twice, once in the fourth and again in the ninth before the fight was called at 0:54 of the round.
“Every next fight is your biggest fight, but the way that this one has been built it is one of the biggest fights to happen since the pandemic,” Warrington said.
“But going back to the fight I am treating it like it is a massive fight and shot at revenge on a huge night, and is not just a shot at Mauricio Lara who to be honest is now a massive name in this division.
“In my head and in my life, I need to do the business and I am hoping to put a picture up of me and Mauricio providing it all goes well on Saturday night, in the case of Lara the case is, get it done and go home and then move on to other things if the time is right.”
Lara says he hasn’t flown back to the UK to lie down.
“I hope everyone is well, we have to think now that February 13 February is in the past,” Lara said.
“I’m now completely and 100% focused on putting on a good show on Saturday. I’m prepared not 100%, but 1000%. Perhaps people didn’t know me previously, but they do now in certain areas.
“There’s going to be a repeat of what happened – there are no surprises in life.
“It really hurt me that a great champion like him didn’t give me the credit for my performance but that’s in the past now.
“I can’t wait for Saturday to come along now and I’m going to show him, in his words, that we’re definitely not on the same level – I’ll have my hand raised on Saturday night.
“I’ve prepared for a knockout, but I’ve also prepared for the twelve rounds, I can assure you it won’t go the distance.”
Warrington insists his first professional loss was merely an aberration.
“Taking the opponent for granted, a bunch of injuries affecting my training, never starting a fight so slowly, not being used to the Covid bubble or the absence of fans that night,” he reasoned before adding: “None of that is going to happen again.”
Lara says he always knew he had Warrington’s measure.
“I knew I could beat him then. Proving myself right has given me even more belief I will destroy him again. I will be the one going to world title fights,” he said.
