Kiko Martinez v Josh Warrington II preview: Revenge or repeat?

Josh Warrington will attempt to regain his world champion status when facing the resurgent Spanish legend Kiko Martinez for the second time this weekend at the First Direct Arena.

Warrington on the comeback trail

The featherweight division takes centre stage once more on Saturday night.

Josh Warrington (30-1-1, 7 KOs), the former IBF titlist is hoping to recapture the belt he lost on home soil in 2021, whilst also moving on from a frustrating pair of fights against Mauricio Lara.

The Yorkshireman was on the wrong side of a shock stoppage defeat to the Mexican last February, which was then followed by a technical draw in September; the ‘Leeds Warrior’ will be keen for revenge but now must refocus as the chance to become a two-time world champion beckons.

He squares off against a familiar foe in Martinez, a fighter Warrington should know well after claiming a majority decision win over the Spaniard in 2017.

Warrington is 2/7 to win the fight and always seems to produce the goods when his back is against the wall, but Martinez always comes prepared for war, and he may well push Warrington into deep waters here.

The 4/6 about the Leeds-native puncher winning via a hard-fought points win is very appealing.

Kiko aiming to retain his title

Kiko Martinez (43-10-2, 30 KOs) has been thrust back into relevance at the top level after a devastating sixth-round upset of Kid Galahad in Sheffield in November saw him swiftly end the latter’s brief championship reign.

‘La Sensacion’ is himself a two-weight world champion, having previously held the IBF super-bantamweight title before losing to Carl Frampton for the second time in 2014.

As well as those memorable fights with Frampton, the vastly experienced Martinez has also lost world title bouts against the likes of Leo Santa Cruz, Gary Russell Jr and Scott Quigg.

A live underdog at 13/5 with his high pressure style which is likely to push Warrington, there is indeed some bite to the 36-year-old Elche native.

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