Galahad Cites “Destiny” Brought Him To His IBF Title Shot
Kid Galahad walks into the First Direct Arena on June 15th as the underdog, looking to take the IBF featherweight title from champion and hometown hero, Josh Warrington.
Galahad has been dreaming of this opportunity for years, and the fact it is for the IBF title is sentimental to the Sheffield born boxer.
“The last thing Brendan Ingle gave me was a tee-shirt from when Naz fought Boom Boom Johnson for the IBF title,” Galahad said of his late trainer/mentor, who also trained former world champion “Prince” Naseem Hamed.
“It is destiny. I was very close to Brendan and I spent most of my time with him. If it wasn’t for him I would probably be locked up or dead. When I do win he will be watching me. When that title is around my waist he will be smiling up above.”
“I don’t really fear much about Josh,” Galahad said of his June 15th opponent. “He is a good fighter but I believe I have sparred better fighters than him in the past like Linares, Ricky Burns, Kell Brook – the list goes on. They keep going on about him beating Lee Selby and Carl Frampton, but I have sparred better kids than he has boxed.
On the opposite side of the ring, Warrington is excited to fight in-front of a hometown crowd and show Galahad (real name Abdul-Bari Awad) he still has the hunger to compete.
“The support has been fantastic as always. We’re here and I can’t wait to go at the end of a long camp,” Warrington said on Wednesday. “I am hungry and I can’t wait for Saturday. It has been a busy few weeks listening to (Galahad) and his team, but let’s get one thing clear. The hunger has not died one little bit.
“Because my lifestyle has changed over the last year or so does not mean I am about to roll over and let me title go away. It is my title by merit, I won it fair and square and no-one is coming to Leeds and taking it off me.”
“I’ve set myself little goals about unifying the division and I am not looking at (Galahad) as someone who is getting under my skin anymore, Warrington concluded.
“I am just looking at him as an opponent, I’ve got to get through him then we go Stateside for big world title fights.”
Report: Boxing 24