Josh Warrington Return Date Announced – Will Not Face Xu Can

IBF featherweight world champion Josh Warrington will finally return to the ring after more than a year. The undefeated Yorkshireman will defend his title for the fourth time in the UK, his promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed.

Rumors in December suggested that Warrington’s next fight would be a unification bout against WBA champion Xu Can. However, it has now been confirmed that he will not be taking on the Chinese fighter.

Speaking to BoxingScene.com, Warrington’s promoter, Eddie Hearn gave an update. He said, “We’ve been working hard with Robert Diaz and Golden Boy to get this fight made but we are going to have to wait a little longer.”

Hearn then added, “After we brought fans back in December, we hoped we would be in a position to have attendance for this fight and it deserves it.” 

The promoter then spoke about Warrington’s return date. “After a long layoff Josh will still return on Feb 13 and if victorious will hopefully face Xu in April or early May.”

READ: BOXING NEWS: Eddie Hearn Provides Major News for Fans

Why has Eddie Hearn postponed the Josh Warrington vs Xu Can fight again?

The UK went into another lockdown at the start of the year, which meant that all boxing activity had to stop. As a result, they had to move all the cards planned for the beginning of the year. However, the BBBofC has since given the green light for boxing to resume in mid-February.

The initial plan, as Hearn suggested, was to have this fight with fans in attendance. It is a big fight, while Warrington has a great fan-following. However, having such a big fight behind closed doors makes sense.

Furthermore, taking on a fighter of Xu Can’s ability after more than a year out is risky. Thus, these aspects could explain why this potential fight had to be moved forward again. However, at least fans will have the chance to see Josh Warrington back in the ring. As of writing this article, his opponent is yet to be revealed. 

READ: Eddie Hearn Provides an Update on Fights in Britain – It’s Not Good News for Fans