Kiko Martinez scored, for many folks, 2021’s Comeback of the Year with his shock KO over Kid Galahad in Sheffield, UK on November 13th. Now, the reigning IBF featherweight champ from Spain will make his first defence on British shores – against former IBF 126 pound ruler Josh Warrington. This is the news according to Mike Coppinger and ESPN.
35 year old Martinez, 43-10-2(30) really did revive his long career with that stunning KO over Galahad and in the March fight he will not only be looking to make a successful first defence of his new belt, he will also be looking to gain revenge over Warrington. Warrington of Leeds, UK scored a close, majority decision over Martinez in a WBC international title fight back in May of 2017. Quite a few people felt Martinez had done enough to earn the win.
Since that fight, Warrington has ruled the world, he has relinquished the belt, and of course he has been beaten up and stopped by Mauricio Lara. Since suffering his own shock upset loss, Warrington, 30-1-1(7) (who holds a close, even debatable decision over common opponent Galahad) has fought just once; this a disappointing technical draw of a rematch with Mexico’s Lara.
So who wins the rematch between Martinez and Warrington? No venue has yet been announced but Kiko is more than used to boxing over in the UK, so this should not really prove to be a factor. Martinez looked strong, powerful and he was hugely determined in the Galahad fight, and that KO win will have done him the power of good. On the other side of this fight, how badly did that KO loss to Lara affect Warrington? We still don’t really know.
This is a most interesting rematch and although Warrington is both the younger man (at age 31) and the man who won the first fight, the momentum may well be with the dangerous banger from Alicante, Spain. Will it be a case of repeat or revenge on March 26?