NOTTINGHAM, England — Josh Warrington placed his gloves on the canvas after losing to Antony Cacace in 2024 — it was finished.
Fifteen years in the professional arena, a two-time world champion who proudly represented the city of Leeds through remarkable moments. All concluded.
Yet, it wasn’t truly over. It’s never that straightforward. Three weeks later, he returned to the gym with more to offer.
“It’s difficult to convey to others what it is, what drives you to return,” Warrington tells ESPN on the eve of Saturday’s rematch with Leigh Wood in Nottingham.
“You’re getting hurt and taking punches to the head, putting your body through so much. But I don’t know, mate. It’s an addiction.”
If Warrington had chosen to retire, no one would have faulted him. The first male world champion from Leeds, he elevated the city in the boxing world, providing working-class fans an icon to support. The title victory over Lee Selby at Elland Road, the defenses against Carl Frampton and Kid Galahad. The stuff of dreams.
However, it is the highs that draw fighters back in. The sensation most will never experience. Emerging from the haze with thousands chanting your name. Stepping through the ropes, just you, the opponent, and your supporters urging you on. Creating memories.
“It’s thrilling to be part of something that could be talked about for years to come … You’re making history,” Warrington states. “When I began, I never imagined anything like this would happen, but I’ve accomplished some incredible things throughout my career.”
The modest fighter catches himself: “Puffing myself up! But this is why you’re involved.”
And there it is. The boy from a region many claim has been overlooked by policymakers and the elite in London, who dared to dream and saw it all come to fruition. No wonder it’s challenging to walk away.
But there is another aspect as well. The harsh reality every fighter confronts.
If not boxing, then what?
It’s a truth not lost on Warrington, although he hasn’t ignored it. “In my mind, I was finished,” he admits. “I felt a bit lost because I’ve always had a vision of what I want to do after boxing, but where do you begin?”
Warrington has business ventures outside of the sport, but he wasn’t prepared to leave behind the structure, discipline, and routine that boxing has imposed on him for as long as he can remember.
“You’re always planning three, four months ahead each year, and suddenly … BAM! That halts,” he explains. “That routine vanishes, the diet goes out the window, the schedule disappears, and you just become ‘a civilian.’
“I suppose that frightens me.”
Of course, Warrington hasn’t navigated this journey alone. His father and trainer Sean O’Hagan has been by his side through the peaks and valleys. If anyone would intervene and say enough is enough, it would be his own father. However, in preparation for the Wood rematch, the camp has felt like a return to the past.
“The entire camp, to be honest, it’s been like turning the clock back five years,” O’Hagan remarked.
O’Hagan himself acknowledges that’s what he’s expected to say, but he believes that Warrington has one or two more memorable nights ahead of him.
“For me personally, they’re always special nights,” he tells ESPN. “We’ve been here a long, long time now. Of course, we’re proud; we’ve put Leeds on the map, haven’t we.”
His expression brightens when he describes the moment the fight arrives. The hardest work has been completed, and now it’s time to perform.
“Whether we’re at home or away, it doesn’t matter where we are, because once you enter that ring … All you’ve got is a little square, nobody’s got anywhere to escape, and you’re there, and that takes over. Adrenaline surges, your eyes are locked on your opponent, and you’re ready to engage.
“So it doesn’t matter if you’re at home or away. You’ve got a task to accomplish.
“I can’t wait … Special night.”
Indeed, another significant occasion under the lights is approaching. The rematch encompasses everything. Rivalry, tension, a narrative, and, for Warrington, redemption. He feels he was unjustly stopped in the first encounter with Wood. The Leeds supporters will now journey the 73 miles south to their rival city with the expectation of another unforgettable fight and hopes of their fighter raising his hand.
Whether this is his last fight or not, Warrington will savor it, feeling content with his career.
“If I could speak to a young Josh Warrington and say: ‘As you grow older, you’re going to be a two-time world champion and create so many wonderful memories,’ I wouldn’t believe it.
“But you do dream…”
