Warrington excited to headline Elland Road

Warrington has boxed on an undercard at the Leeds home ground before, but this time he's the main attraction against Slough's Ian Bailey. And with a supporting cast of Tommy 'Boom Boom' Coyle, Adil 'Platinum Kid' Anwar, and Gary 'Five Star' Sykes, Warrington is looking forward to an unforgettable evening.

“The last time I boxed was at the Town Hall and it was an electric atmosphere. It’s something I’ll never forget, especially walking out to the Leeds United anthem ‘Marching on together’ and with everyone singing it.  So, I’m hoping we can replicate that again, especially with the massive undercard for this show; it’s going to be even bigger than last time.

“Obviously in Sheffield you’ve got Kell Brook and Kid Galahad but, from this part of Yorkshire, we’ve definitely got the cream of the crop on this show. It’s a chance for people to see the best from Leeds and Hull.  Both Adil and Gary are at British level, and Tommy has cemented himself there after his last performance against Derry Mathews. It’s definitely a night to come along to, whether you’re a boxing fan or if you’ve never been before.  This would normally be a big Sky show and you’ll definitely be entertained.”

Even though he already has a four round victory over Bailey, Warrington has his eye on a future British title shot, and with the bill being broadcast live and free on vipboxing.tv, he can’t afford to take him lightly. Bailey outpointed Gants Hill's Dan Naylor in his last outing, but relinquished the Southern Area title as he failed to make weight.

Talking about their last meeting back in 2011, Warrington said: “I underestimated him a little bit, and I won’t be doing it this time. He turned out to be tougher than I expected.  I still managed to get the win but I’ve heard about him turning up and causing upsets and he’s not one to be taken lightly.  It’s a big scalp for him and a chance to get revenge after the last fight."

“[British champion] Lee Selby fights [Ryan] Walsh a week after us and there’s talk of him vacating if he wins, and if that does happen then there’ll be a title without a champion.  So I’m hoping to get a shot at the British this season.  This fight will be the second defence of my English title and I think it’s now time to step it up a level.”

“I think this will be easily the best non-TV show in Yorkshire this coming boxing season, and for a very long time coming,” said VIP Promotions’ head Steve Wood, who promotes jointly with Mark Bateson. 

“The undercard is fantastic and each of them could be topping the bill in their own right.  The atmosphere will be incredible and it really is a show that should be on TV, so I’m pleased that if fans aren’t able to come along they will be able to watch it live on the internet.  We’ve got high hopes for Josh, he’s a lovely boxer but this fight is a potential banana skin and he’s going to have to be fully focused if he is to go onto bigger things.”