Josh Warrington has become a two-time world champion with a seventh-round stoppage of IBF featherweight champion Kiko Martinez.
Fighting once again in front of his Leeds supporters, Warrington found himself in a crossroads fight at world level, aware that defeat would leave him down the pecking order with unification fights with other belt holders to be made.
However, spurred on by a cut to Martinez during the first round, Warrington relentlessly hunted down his opponent, concerned that a second bout in succession could be stopped early due to a clash of heads.
Warrington, who also defeated Martinez in May 2017, dropped the Spaniard with a right hand in the first round but Martinez, his face covered in blood, somehow made it through the first three rounds.
While Warrington continued to have frequent success during an enthralling fight, Martinez was still competitive, occasionally reminding the home fighter that he had the power to knock him out like he did Kid Galahad in November.
In the seventh round, however, Warrington closed the show, a sustained onslaught leading to the referee stopping the contest with little complaint from the dethroned champion.
Darren Plant
