Mauricio Lara and Josh Warrington will meet once again at the Emerald Headingley Stadium on Saturday September 4, live worldwide on DAZN.
The co-main event will also feature undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor, who puts all her belts on the line against IBF mandatory challenger Jennifer Han.
‘The Leeds Warrior’ (30-1, 7 KOs) was floored and ruthlessly finished by Mexico’s Lara (22-2, 15 KOs) in a sensational knockout loss at The SSE Arena, Wembley in February that put a massive dent in the former IBF featherweight champion’s unification plans.
Warrington endured a stunning upset defeat as he was dropped and nearly stopped in the fourth round before ‘Bronco’ sent him crashing to the canvas again in the ninth to end the 30-year-old’s unbeaten record.
The upset-of-the-year contender sent shockwaves through the 126lbs division and now Warrington will look to exact revenge in front of a capacity crowd at the home of the Leeds Rhinos in the biggest fight of his career.
Undisputed lightweight ruler Taylor (18-0, 6 KOs) defends her WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine crowns against her latest mandatory challenger Han (18-3-1, 1 KOs) in the co-main event, another huge stage for the best in women’s boxing.
The Irish star was forced to dig deep as she retained her world titles via a unanimous decision victory after another memorable meeting with Natasha Jonas last time out at Manchester Arena in May – nine years on from their London 2012 Olympic Games bout.
Han, a six-time national amateur champion fighting out of El Paso, Texas, won the vacant IBF featherweight world title against Helen Joseph in September 2015 and went on to make four defences of her title – most recently against Lizbeth Crespo in February 2018.
“I’ve never been much of a talker, I’d rather do my talking in the ring,” said Lara. “I’m going for a repeat performance on September 4. Hit once, hit twice. Warrington should know that I am coming for him. This is all about pride. This is for Mexico!”
“It’s been an up and down period, time for reflection and to reassess myself, said Warrington. “I’ve watched the first fight a dozen times, I’m mentally and physically prepared for Mauricio. It won’t be the same result, I want revenge. It’s going to be a huge event in Leeds, I can’t wait to get back in there and rewrite the script. It’s nothing personal, just business. September 4th we get back on track to the top.”