Josh Warrington: Briton rules out retirement and targets Leigh Wood fight
Josh Warrington has categorically ruled out retirement but admits he has had sleepless nights following his defeat by Luis Alberto Lopez at Leeds Arena.
Lopez, 29, stunned Warrington on home soil earlier this month to become the new IBF featherweight champion.
“The first few nights were difficult because I closed my eyes and all I could do was see him celebrating,” Warrington, 32, told BBC Sport.
“It was hard to close my eyes and see him jumping around, holding my belt.”
He added: “I turned one side of the pillow, close my eyes, see him again.
“Then I turn the other side, close my eyes and I’d see him again.”
Warrington is a two-time world champion, with 31 victories, and says the defeat by Lopez has motivated him to return as soon as possible.
“On Monday and Tuesday [following the loss] I wanted to put my trainers on and start running. I wanted to get back into the gym,” he said.
“If I didn’t have those feelings, it would be time to call it a day but it’s still there, that fire is still there.
“I’ve just lost a majority decision and people say it could have gone either way.
“I’ve not been disgraced, and I finished the fight stronger than he did but maybe I just got it wrong at the start. I’ve still got it and I want to put it right next year.”
‘I’m the B-side now’
Warrington is now hoping for a domestic fight with Leigh Wood or a trilogy with Mauricio Lara but understands he is now “the B-side”.
“Leigh Wood is going to be out soon and there’s talks about him facing Lara – why can’t I have the winner out of them two? I’ve got to be patient now because I’ve kind of gone on to the B-side,” Warrington said.
“They [Wood and his team] still want the fight because it’s a big fight domestically.
“That fight will bring a lot of pounds to the table and brings a lot of attention.”
‘I’m just daddy to them’
After the defeat, ‘The Leeds Warrior’ posted an emotional message with his daughters on social media.
“It puts things into perspective that there’s more to life. I’m just daddy to them,” Warrington said.
“They came in, grabbed me, and cuddled me, said ‘daddy you are a champion’, and [my wife] took the photo because it was a special moment and I thought I’d share that.
“We are all good here because a lot of people can go dark, but we are all good over here.”
Lopez inflicted Warrington’s second loss after fellow Mexican Lara knocked him out in February 2021.
Warrington admits he struggled to process that first defeat but says he will not allow the Lopez result to affect his personal life.
“The girls, some of my mates and some of my other family members suffered when I lost to Lara because I shut myself away. It was my girls’ birthday the day after the fight, and I was trying to force myself to smile, and they suffered from that,” he said.
“It’s Christmas and they are really excited. They are at an age now where everything is magical, and I said I’m not going to let them suffer because of that.”