Josh: I would feel guilty at no-fans fight

JOSH Warrington would reluctantly agree to a unification fight behind closed doors against Can Xu later this year but the British featherweight would “feel guilty” at his sizeable contingent of supporters missing out.

A bout which would have seen Warrington’s IBF title and Chinese fighter Can’s secondary WBA crown put on the line was close to being finalised at the rugby ground of Headingley Stadium, only for coronavirus to scupper the plans.

The British Boxing Board of Control has intimated it will not give the go-ahead for a resumption once restrictions on movement are lifted as it is wary of overburdening the NHS at a time when emergency services are under pressure.

It is highly likely boxing shows will at least initially return without spectators in attendance, which would leave Warrington facing a dilemma as he recognises how important and enthusiastic his army of fans are.

However, Warrington knows that if promoter Eddie Hearn offered the opportunity to unify the 126lb division in the next few months, it would be too tempting to turn down.

Warrington said: “If Eddie said ‘listen, you’re going to have to fight behind closed doors for a unification or you wait until next year but it’s not going to happen’ then I’d scoop up the unification fight.

“I’d feel guilty a little bit because there are a lot of fans who have been coming since day dot and have not missed a single fight and there are a lot of fans who sacrifice a lot just to be there.

“It’s an occasion, a lot of them feel like they’re in there with me and I couldn’t imagine having to force them to sit at home and watch it on the telly,” he added.

“But if that’s what it would have to be to make sure that we got the big fight then it would have to happen like that.”

As the crisis lengthens, the window of opportunity for fighters competing this year shortens, which has led to fears of a logjam and rival promoters staging separate events on the same day.