Head to head: There will be no love lost between Josh Warrington and Luis Alberto Lopez in Leeds
(Picture: Action Images via Reuters)The IBF welterweight title is up for grabs today as Josh Warrington puts his belt on the line in a showdown with Luis Alberto Lopez.
The 32-year-old will defend his title in front of home support in Leeds, his first defence since regaining the belt from Kiko Martinez in March.
Warrington has been vocal about his desire to move on to more lucrative pay days further afield, though stresses he will not be getting too far ahead of himself.
Lopez won his shot at the world title by defeating Isaac Lowe last year and has won 26 of 28 fights, 15 of which have come via a knockout.
Saturday promises to be a huge night in Leeds. The chief support sees Ebanie Bridges meet Shannon O’Connell in a grudge match, a bout Eddie Hearn has hailed as the biggest female fight in Australian boxing history.
The card will be split into two to allow those in attendance to watch England’s World Cup clash with France, with the undercard first running between 1.30pm GMT to 7pm before picking up after the football at 9pm.
Warrington vs Lopez date, start time, venue and ring walks
What Warrington hopes will be his last fight in Leeds for a while takes place on Saturday December 10, 2022 at the First Direct Arena.
The undercard will begin at 1.30pm, with ring walks for the main event expected to start at around 10.30pm after the England game.
Warrington vs Lopez fight card/undercard in full
Josh Warrington vs Luis Alberto Lopez
Ebanie Bridges vs Shannon O’Connell
Felix Cash vs Celso Neves
JJ Metcalf vs Courtney Pennington
Koby McNamara vs Nabil Ahmed
Shannon Courtenay vs Gemma Ruegg
Cory O’Regan vs Antonio Rodriguez
Hopey Price vs Jonathan Santana
Junaid Bostan vs Athanasios Glynos
Rhiannon Dixon vs Kristine Shergold
How to watch Warrington vs Lopez
TV channel: The event will be broadcast live onDAZN – a subscription to which costs £7.99 per month in the UK - with the main card starting at around 9pm.
For those wanting to watch the earlier fights, ‘Before the Bell’ will air at 6pm on the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel and DAZN app.
Live stream: The DAZN app will offer a live stream for phones, tablets and other devices.
Warrington vs Lopez fight prediction
Warrington is looking for a statement win before he can move onto more lucrative fights, perhaps in America.
Lopez, however, has never been stopped even despite his two losses. If Warrington is going to retain his belt, he’s going to have to find the kind of power many suggest he’s not displayed so far.
It’s going to be difficult but Warrington’s home support could be a huge factor.
Warrington to win on points.
Warrington vs Lopez weigh-in results
Warrington tipped the scales on Friday before an intense final face-off at 125.3lbs, with Lopez the slightly lighter man at 124.3lbs.
Warrington clocked in at 125.7lbs for the Martinez fight in March.
Warrington vs Lopez latest odds
Warrington to win: 4/6
Lopez to win: 5/4
Draw: 16/1
Warrington to win by decision/technical decision: Evens
Warrington to win by KO, TKO or DQ: 6/1
Lopez to win by decision/technical decision: 5/1
Lopez to win by KO, TKO or DQ: 23/10
