Josh Warrington achieved his first victory in the ring in three years this past Saturday. However, a boxing expert has voiced the opinion that “The Leeds Warrior” should consider retirement.
At Sheffield`s Park Community Arena, Warrington won a unanimous decision over 10 rounds against Asad Asif Khan, who previously fought Michael Conlan. Conlan defeated Khan over eight rounds the previous month, also marking Conlan`s first win since December 2022. While there has been talk of a potential fight between Warrington and Conlan, Conlan is currently unable to compete due to a hand injury.
Johnny Nelson, former WBO world cruiserweight champion, observed Warrington`s victory during the Dalton Smith-Mathieu Germain undercard. Nelson encouraged the two-time featherweight world champion to retire. Speaking to Boxing News after Ben Whittaker`s victory over Liam Cameron, Nelson stated, “I think Josh should retire.”
Nelson elaborated, “He won, but I believe his legs are weakening. He has a strong fanbase, and boxing is addictive, but his legs don`t appear stable. While he remains aggressive and still possesses punching power, his opponent was relatively weak and not particularly dangerous. A few years ago, Warrington would have easily defeated this opponent.”
Warrington`s recent fight followed a defeat seven months prior, a 12-round loss to Anthony Cacace at Wembley Stadium on the Joshua-Dubois undercard. Following that loss, Warrington left his gloves in the ring, hinting at the potential conclusion of his 15-year career, which includes English, Commonwealth, British, European, and world featherweight titles. Before the Khan fight, Warrington, age 34, admitted to Boxing News that his “mentality wasn`t right” for the Cacace fight.
Despite this setback, Warrington is still enthusiastic about a possible fight with Conlan. “It would be great, really nice,” he commented. “Our names have been linked for a long time, but it has never happened. He sells a lot of tickets. Boxing fans might think we are both nearing the end of our careers, but fans want to see exciting matches.”
