Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
JOSH WARRINGTON v SOFIANE TAKOUCHT; IBF WORLD FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE NAPPY DAYS FOR WARRINGTON
Josh reckons he would rather stay at home and change his twin baby daughters’ nappies than ‘shout & scream’ to promote himself in America like Fury USYK: I’M READY TO TAKE ON AJ OR RUIZ
JOSH WARRINGTON claims he would rather change nappies than go to America and “shout and scream” like Tyson Fury to promote himself.
Fury faces Braun Strowman in a publicity stunt in Saudi Arabia on October 31 after confronting the WWE star in the US.
But after destroying Sofiane Takoucht in two rounds to retain his IBF featherweight title, Warrington says such attentiongrabbing antics are not his style.
He says he will now be on nappy duty for twin daughters Olivia and Eliza rather than gatecrashing his rivals’ next fights in the US.
“That’s not my cup of tea,” said the unbeaten Leeds fighter (right). “That’s why I’ve got promoters. I’m not going to go all WWE and start shouting and screaming. I’ll leave that to Tyson Fury.
“I’ll be shopping in ASDA tomorrow. My wife will have me changing s **** y nappies. My life will go back to normal.
“I don’t consider myself a superstar, so going over to America, making a tool of myself, calling people all the names under the sun, that’s really not me.
“Listen, if they want the fight I’m here.
Simple as that. I’ve leave all the dramas to the rest of them.”
Warrington trusts Frank Warren to deliver the unification fights he so badly wants – the promoter is working on bringing WBA champ Can Xu to Elland Road in May or June. Warren, who wanted the Chinese feath er weight for this fight, says Warrington’s next contest will be at Elland Road, where he dethroned Lee Selby to become champion in May 2018. “The Chinese guy Xu is fighting in a few weeks’ time and we’ve been talking,” he said. “They said after that fight, we can talk about a unification fight. The next fight we want to be at Elland Road unless something big comes out of the woodwork to go the States.”
Warrington, 28, claims he is no longer desperate to fight in America after his army of fans created another fantastic atmosphere at the First Direct Arena in his Leeds backyard on Saturday.
He delivered for them by demolishing Takoucht in his third IBF defence to hand the Frenchman the first stoppage of his 39-fight career.
Warrington floored Takoucht twice in the second round with stinging rights before referee Bob Williams waved it off six seconds before the bell.
It was his seventh pro stoppage and his first in two years.
“I wanted to make a statement against this guy,” he said. “I said it wouldn’t last long.
“I put myself under pressure by talking about what I was going to do, but I delivered.” OLEKSANDR USYK is ready to fight Anthony Joshua – if the British heavyweight star wins back his world titles against Andy Ruiz Jr in December. Ukraine star Usyk, already undisputed cruiserweight king, forced American Chazz Witherspoon to retire in his heavyweight debut on Saturday. As he was WBO champion at the weight below, it means Usyk is mandatory for the belt at heavyweight.
Joshua faces Ruiz Jr for the WBA, WBO and IBF titles on December 7 in Saudi Arabia.
And Usyk (above) said: “I’m ready for them. If they offer it, I’m going to take it.”