Josh Warrington defends for the 3rd time against Sofiane Takoucht in Leeds.

IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington 29-0 (6 KOs) will defend his title for the 3rd time against Sofiane Takoucht 35-3-1 (13 KOs) on October 12th on home territory at Leeds’ First Direct Arena.. Josh is no stranger to this venue, having appeared 9 times throughout his career, most recently in a tough defence against Kid Galahad in June..
French national Takoucht is a former European champion and is ranked fourth in the current IBF rankings.
Promoter Frank Warren made it very clear that Josh’s primary intentions were to secure the unification fight with Oscar Valdez, but considering that Valdez is relinquishing the WBO title, the bout appeared less attractive as then next alternative, a unification bout with WBA champion Leo Santa Cruz, who doesn’t appear to be enthusiastic about taking the fight.. Looking at the IBF ratings, Takoucht is the best caliber opponent available for the October date, an experienced southpaw who back in 2009 held an unbeaten record of 16-0.. Sofiane has an 8 fight winning streak going back as far as 2014..