Warrington Edges Galahad in Split Decision

It was a close call and somewhat controversial, but Josh Warrington narrowly beat out Kid Galahad on the scorecards to retain the IBF Featherweight Championship with a split decision in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

The moment the Leeds crowd learned that Josh Warrington had earned the split-decision win to defend his belt 🙌#AndStill

Great to see the respect between both fighters after 12 tough and tense rounds!#WarringtonGalahad pic.twitter.com/YLDp3JBnpz

— Boxing on BT Sport 🥊 (@BTSportBoxing) June 15, 2019

Galahad came out firing in the first and landed big shots early on Warrington, who was quickly forced to match the pace of his challenger.

The common theme throughout the fight was Galahad landing the cleaner, crisper punches, while Warrington was busier.

📸 #WarringtonGalahad pic.twitter.com/yuJWTBlitj

— Frank Warren (@frankwarren_tv) June 15, 2019

Warrington’s nose was busted open in the fourth round, but he came back with a big fifth round. The next few rounds could have gone either way, but Warrington looked to be the busier fighter as Galahad’s pace slowed down a bit.

After an even 10th round, Warrington unsuccessfully looked to put things away in the 11th, while the final round was filled with a lot of clinching.

While one judge awarded the bout to Galahad 115-113, the two others gave the fight to Warrington with scores of 116-112 and 116-113, allowing Warrington to retain the title in front of a hometown crowd.

"I knew it was close, but I was doing the cleaner work."

"You can't win on pot shots, but you've got to give him credit."

Josh Warrington gives an honest take on his second IBF title defense.

He's got his eyes on America next 👀#WarringtonGalahad pic.twitter.com/8yNvACXfyY

— Boxing on BT Sport 🥊 (@BTSportBoxing) June 15, 2019