On Saturday March 26, Kiko Martinez defends his IBF featherweight title in his rematch with Josh Warrington.
Warrington gave up the belt at the start of 2021 in pursuit of finding bigger names to take on, but suffered from a long period of pandemic-enforced inactivity.
He paid for that time out of the ring as he was shocked by Mauricio Lara, and set up a second fight in July that year to set the record straight. Unfortunately for the Briton, a controversial technical draw was awarded after the Mexican suffered an early cut.
Things come full circle this weekend when Warrington not only gets the chance to win back the IBF strap, but for Martinez it is the chance to get one over his old foe Warrington.
Martinez vs. Warrington: Who won the first fight?
Five years ago the pair fought for the first time, again at the First Direct Arena in Leeds.
Warrington had switched promotional companies as he looked to chase down a world title fight and the Spaniard stood in the way, hoping for his own chance to become a world champion.
While Warrington emerged victorious with a majority decision in his favour from the judges, it was far from straightforward. Many believed that Martinez had done enough to claim the win, and there will be more than the title on the line in their rematch.
'Robbery'
Warrington kept hold of his WBC title with a scoreline of 116-112 (twice) and 114-114. The 36-year-old Spaniard referred to the defeat as a ‘robbery’ and such is his sense of injustice that he believes he needs to beat his opponent this weekend in order to not fall foul of any potential home bias from another three judges.
Martinez of course did ultimately get his title shot, and won the IBF featherweight belt in November, when he took on Kid Galahad, emerging the surprise winner. Just a few months later and he is now on his way for his first title defence, in pursuit of his third consecutive victory as well as his chance to show the judges backed the wrong man in 2017.
Where can I watch the first fight again?
BT Sport have uploaded the first Warrington vs. Martinez encounter, which you can find here.
Martinez vs. Warrington 2 fight date, start time
- Date : Saturday, March 26
- Time : 7 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 10:30 p.m. GMT / 6:30 p.m. ET
The mian card is set to get underway at 7 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 10:30 p.m. GMT / 6:30 p.m. ET. These timings could change due to the length of the undercard bouts.
Can I watch Martinez vs. Warrington 2 on DAZN?
The card will stream live on DAZN in over 200 countries across the globe. You can sign up for a subscription here . However if you are in Argentina, Chile and Colombia you must download the DAZN app from the Apple App Store or Android Google Play store and then sign up from there, rather than via web browser.
What devices are supported on DAZN?
DAZN is available on web browsers at DAZN.com (except Argentina, Chile and Colombia) and also has apps available for all of the following TV and streaming devices:
| Mobile Devices | TV & Streaming Devices | Game Consoles |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone, iPad | Amazon Fire TV | Playstation 4 |
| Android phones, tables | Amazon Fire TV Stick | Playstation 5 |
| Amazon Fire tablet | Android TV | XBox One |
| Apple TV | XBox Series X | S | |
| Google Chromecast | ||
| LG Smart TV, Smartcast | ||
| Panasonic Smart TV | ||
| Samsung Smart TV | ||
| Sony Smart TV |
Where is the Martinez vs. Warrington 2 fight?
The fight takes place at the First Direct Arena in Leeds.
Kiko Martinez record and bio
- Nationality: Spain
- Date of birth: March 7, 1986
- Height: 5' 5"
- Reach: 66"
- Total fights: 55
- Record: 43-10-2 (30 KOs)
Josh Warrington record and bio
- Nationality: Great Britain
- Date of birth: November 14, 1990
- Height: 5' 7"
- Reach: 67"
- Total fights: 32
- Record: 30-1-1 (7 KOs)
Martinez vs. Warrington 2 fight card
- Kiko Martinez vs. Josh Warrington; IBF world featherweight title
- Maxi Hughes vs. Ryan Walsh; IBO world lightweight title
- Maria Cecilia Roman vs. Ebanie Bridges; IBF women's world bantamweight title
- Dalton Smith vs. Ray Moylette; Super lightweight
- Calum French vs. Angelo Turco; Super lightweight
- Mali Wright vs. Luis Palmer; Light heavyweight
- Cory O'Regan vs. Jakub Laskowski; Lightweight
- Skye Nicolson vs. TBC; Women's featherweight