Josh Warrington claimed the vacant WBC international featherweight title this evening with a 12 round unanimous decision victory over the teak tough Filipino Dennis Tubieron.
The local hero – now mandatory challenger to Gary Russell Jnr’s WBC featherweight world championship – was greeted in the customary raucous fashion held on reserve for him at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, which resembled more of summer rock festival than a championship boxing show.
Such an atmosphere can’t help but transfer to target of its affection and Warrington looked ready to explode as he soaked up every ounce of it pacing around his corner, in which he was oddly accompanied by ex-footballer and actor Vinnie Jones.
When the action finally got underway, Warrington returned to the calm and composed demeanour we are accustomed to seeing from him. Stalking his rival from the outset, wasting very little and utilising his clever movement and sharp straight punching to win the first round.
As the second stanza progressed, Warrington had already began to decipher Tubieron’s southpaw stance, working consistently with the straight right hand through the guard, offsetting his opponent with his superior footwork. With his success came the wall of sound, which for a moment had the Filipino looking like he was heading for the door.
It couldn’t be further from the truth, Tubieron was not here for a payday and displayed that valiantly, firing back whenever he had the opportunity.
Warrington pulled away through rounds 3 to 5, creating room to deliver sharp jabs and solid right hands down the pipe that had his opponent reeling back towards the ropes on a number of occasions.
But, it was Tubieron who took the 6th on my card, taking the opportunity presented when Warrington took a breather to display some of his best work. Sadly, for Tubieron and his team, that as good as it got for their man.
Warrington ripped control in the seventh round, landing a perfectly timed right hand, sending Tubieron’s gum shield spinning on to the judges table. He unleashed a tirade of punches, appearing to have Tubieron on the verge.
However, the deceptive East Asian refused to shift and would lose every round in similar fashion down the stretch, bravely choosing the difficult option to bite down rather than throw the towel in, of which he looked on the verge on numerous occasions.
This notion was punctuated by the final round, which had him on the end of a barrel load of combinations that would have discouraged a lesser man and led to the stoppage the crowd so craved.
All three judges scored unanimously in favour of Warrington with scores of 118-109, 119-110 and 119-109.
A convincing victory in the end for Warrington, but he was made to work every single second for his victory, something that will serve him well as things only get tougher from here on in.
Post fight Warrington confirmed he would defend his European title in his next outing as he and his promoters continue to plot a route to the top. Quite rightly, that doesn’t mean jumping in with the Russell Jnr’s or the Lee Selby’s of this world just yet.
“I have a mandatory for my European so that’s what I will look to do next, come back here and entertain these guys and get a bit more experience under my belt.” Warrington said
“I would 100 per cent like to fight Lee Selby. I wish him all the best and believe he will win that World title. I think it would sell out Elland Road if Lee and I were to get it on so it is definitely a fight that will happen.”
The big fights will come for Warrington and if his rapid improvement continues, his all action could just prove a significant problem for any of the champions in the featherweight division.
“I will go back to the gym and try and improve my game all round. I took a few shots I didn’t need to. I also want to say a massive thank you to everybody who has turned out tonight; the best crowd not just in Britain but in the world. From first bell to last it was unbelievable noise.”
