LEEDS, England -- It will be a battle of unbeaten fighters on June 15 when Josh Warrington puts his IBF featherweight title on the line against Kid Galahad. If you haven't heard much about the fight that's probably because it will air on ESPN+ and that platform hasn't figured out how to properly promote an upcoming fight yet. The featherweight division is one of the deeper divisions in boxing and this fight should help clear some things up, with the winner having plenty of options. Politics of boxing aside, fans would certainly like to see the winner of this fight have a unification bout with the likes of Oscar Valdez, Leo Santa Cruz, Gary Russell Jr., or even rising star Shakur Stevenson even if he isn't a titleholder yet.
The 28-year-old Warrington (28-0, 6 KOs) is a fighter who likes to keep moving. On the outside he is in constant motion, at least his feet are because he doesn't throw many punches from the outside. When he does let his hands go from the outside he flashes a fast jab and while that is an excellent punch, he doesn't usually follow it up with anything. Warrington's style changes drastically when he gets inside though. Despite having no real power Warrington is a skilled inside fighter. He loves to go to the body and does so beautifully with his left hook. The champion is also adept at sneaking in uppercuts and will also let loose with his right hand. He's an interesting fighter because while he doesn't have tremendous power he does seem able to overwhelm opponents on the inside with his volume of punches and frustrate them on the outside with his movement.
Warrington began his career in 2009 but things really started heating up for him in 2016. That year he beat Patrick Hyland and then followed that win up by beating tough veteran Kiko Martinez a year later. In 2018 Warrington finally got his first shot at a world title when he challenged Lee Selby for his IBF strap. In a close fight Warrington was able to eek out a split decision win and then successfully defended that IBF title against Carl Frampton. In the featherweight division there are plenty of great fights to be made. Of all the featherweight champions Warrington has the least buzz surrounding his name. Valdez always makes for great television, Santa Cruz seems like he's been a champion for a decade, and while Russell only fights once a year there is no denying his skill level. If Warrington wants to get to the next level he needs to handle Galahad and start calling out his fellow titleholders or rising star Stevenson.
Galahad (26-0, 15 KOs) is a skilled, if untested title challenger. He has quick hands and the ability to switch from orthodox to southpaw. As an orthodox fighter Galahad has an excellent jab and a sturdy straight right hand and while his jab lands with more of a thud from the southpaw stance it doesn't have the same fluidity. Galahad definitely carries more power than Warrington does and his straight left hand from the southpaw stance can do damage when it lands clean. He doesn't throw many hooks though and he's at his best from the middle distance or the outside and doesn't usually spend much time in the pocket. Galahad is that difficult to figure out though because he loves to come in straight ahead and doesn't vary his attack all that much outside of switching his stances.
At 29 years old Galahad has been fighting professionally for a decade. In his 10 years as a pro he has never fought for a world title so his fight with Warrington will be the biggest of his career. While fans will recognize names like Adeilson Dos Santos and James 'Jazza' Dickens on Galahad's resume, he hasn't exactly fought the best of the best on a consistent basis. This will be a very important fight for Galahad's career because a win makes him a champion in one of the deepest division in boxing while a loss sends him back down the hill.
This should be an interesting fight with plenty of skills on display. Galahad is at his best from the middle distance where he can switches stances and land plenty of jabs and straight right or left hands. If Galahad can stop Warrington from getting inside and stays busy with his punches he could find success. Warrington doesn't throw much from the outside but his movement should frustrate the slower-footed Galahad. Look for Warrington to make Galahad follow him around the ring while picking his spots to set traps and get inside where he really likes to let his hands go. Ring generalship is often overlooked by judges but Warrington has become very good at it. However, if this fight does go to the cards some judges might favor the heavier hands of Galahad.
PREDICTION: Kid Galahad definitely has more power than Josh Warrington and he definitely has the skills to hang with champions but he won't win this fight. Warrington's movement and high ring IQ will be the difference in this fight and while it will be close it will be Warrington who comes out the winner by the way of majority decision.
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| Warrington working the body of Carl Frampton |
Warrington began his career in 2009 but things really started heating up for him in 2016. That year he beat Patrick Hyland and then followed that win up by beating tough veteran Kiko Martinez a year later. In 2018 Warrington finally got his first shot at a world title when he challenged Lee Selby for his IBF strap. In a close fight Warrington was able to eek out a split decision win and then successfully defended that IBF title against Carl Frampton. In the featherweight division there are plenty of great fights to be made. Of all the featherweight champions Warrington has the least buzz surrounding his name. Valdez always makes for great television, Santa Cruz seems like he's been a champion for a decade, and while Russell only fights once a year there is no denying his skill level. If Warrington wants to get to the next level he needs to handle Galahad and start calling out his fellow titleholders or rising star Stevenson.
Galahad (26-0, 15 KOs) is a skilled, if untested title challenger. He has quick hands and the ability to switch from orthodox to southpaw. As an orthodox fighter Galahad has an excellent jab and a sturdy straight right hand and while his jab lands with more of a thud from the southpaw stance it doesn't have the same fluidity. Galahad definitely carries more power than Warrington does and his straight left hand from the southpaw stance can do damage when it lands clean. He doesn't throw many hooks though and he's at his best from the middle distance or the outside and doesn't usually spend much time in the pocket. Galahad is that difficult to figure out though because he loves to come in straight ahead and doesn't vary his attack all that much outside of switching his stances.
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| Galahad sticking a jab to the body of his opponent |
This should be an interesting fight with plenty of skills on display. Galahad is at his best from the middle distance where he can switches stances and land plenty of jabs and straight right or left hands. If Galahad can stop Warrington from getting inside and stays busy with his punches he could find success. Warrington doesn't throw much from the outside but his movement should frustrate the slower-footed Galahad. Look for Warrington to make Galahad follow him around the ring while picking his spots to set traps and get inside where he really likes to let his hands go. Ring generalship is often overlooked by judges but Warrington has become very good at it. However, if this fight does go to the cards some judges might favor the heavier hands of Galahad.
PREDICTION: Kid Galahad definitely has more power than Josh Warrington and he definitely has the skills to hang with champions but he won't win this fight. Warrington's movement and high ring IQ will be the difference in this fight and while it will be close it will be Warrington who comes out the winner by the way of majority decision.
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