Carl Frampton believes there is a ‘good chance’ Josh Warrington will walk away from boxing if he loses to Leigh Wood this weekend.
Warrington takes on WBA featherweight champion Wood on Saturday night in a huge domestic dust-up in Sheffield that will have major ramifications for both men.
Warrington, 32, secured his first world title by beating Frampton on an electric night in Manchester in 2018, making two defences of the belt before vacating in 2021 under pressure from sanctioning bodies. Shortly after, he was on the end of a devastating knockout defeat to Mauricio Lara.
Warrington reclaimed the IBF belt after stopping Kiko Martinez in March last year but suffered defeat against another heavy-handed Mexican in Luis Alberto Lopez in December to lose the title again.
Having gone 30-0 during a thrilling rise to the top of the division, the Leeds fighter has won just one of his last four fights. His rematch against Lara in September 2021 was stopped in the second round and declared a draw after a clash of heads.
Wood’s rise during that same period has been spectacular. After moving from British title challenger to world champion in five months, he was stopped in his tracks in February, with Lara again coming to these shores to knock out a UK fighter.
Wood’s response was magnificent, immediately taking the rematch and outclassing the Mexican to reclaim his title in May.
The two boxing sons of their respective cities of Leeds and Nottingham, Warrington vs Wood promises the same thrilling atmosphere that accompanied Frampton’s famous battle with the former five years ago.
That night marked the second defeat of Frampton’s career. The two-weight world champion fought just three more times after that, defeated in one last hurrah up at super-featherweight against Jamel Herring before retiring in April 2021.
Frampton, whose autobiography was released this week, sees similarities to where he was in his career that night in Manchester and where Warrington is now and believes time may now be catching up on his old rival.
‘I don’t think there is a massive favourite but I think Wood’s freshness is enough to get him a win,’ Frampton told Metro.co.uk.
‘I really respect Josh and his dad [Warrington’s trainer, Sean O’Hagan] but Josh looks to be at the stage of his career that I was when I going in to fight him going in towards the back end.
‘I am not saying I was finished or he is finished, but maybe slightly past our best. I just fancy Leigh for those reasons.
‘When you’re in wars, it can almost be an overnight thing, from turning in a decent performance to being done just like that. I am not saying that is the case, but it slows you up when you spar hard and fight hard like Josh does. There is only a certain shelf life you are able to do that for.’
A win for either man will surely set up a unification bout against one of the division’s other champions with Rey Vargas the reigning WBC king and Robeisy Ramirez holding the WBO title. Lopez, the man who dethroned Warrington and knocked out Michael Conlan in May, remains in possession of the IBF belt.
Warrington has long dreamed of delivery a big boxing away day to his army of supporters, eager to replicate Ricky Hatton in bringing his mob to Las Vegas for a huge title fight.
That dream will likely rest on beating Wood, with Frampton, who had a similar experience when he won his second world title in New York against Leo Santa Cruz in 2016, hoping he can deliver that.
‘Josh has had an unbelievable career. I think if he loses, there is a good chance he walks away. He has got young kids, he has made enough money and could walk away happy and confident with what he has achieved in the sport.
‘There is one thing that would keep Josh around if he did lose and that would be a fight in the US. I know he has wanted that for a while and I would love for him to get that. Beat Leigh Wood and then go and unify against someone in America and bring your crazy Leeds fans to the States.
‘I would like that to happen for him because he has always wanted that.’
My Autobiography by Carl Frampton by Carl Frampton with Paul D. Gibson is available to buy now (Merrion Press, £21.99).
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