It was an electric atmosphere at the First Direct Arena on Saturday night as Josh Warrington reclaimed his IBF world title crown in front of a fervent home crowd. He walked out alongside Leeds United right-back Luke Ayling to the sound of 'Marching on Together' and with Kalvin Phillips also in the crowd he celebrated with a nod to his heroes.
When Ayling celebrated with a forward roll against Wolves in last Friday's dramatic 3-2 win little did he think it would be replicated by a world champion boxer. When the referee stopped the fight, the immediate reaction of the 31-year-old was to launch into a roly poly to celebrate the win in a manner akin to Ayling's moves at Molineux on March 18.
The Leeds Warrior was bouncing back from a difficult 2021 and flew out of the blocks, causing huge damage to his opponent and managing to cut both eyes of the Spaniard which raised concerns of the doctors. However, it was a professional showing from Martinez who rallied back into the fight and looked dangerous at times.
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