Eddie Hearn hopes that Josh Warrington can emulate Ricky Hatton's popularity
Sunday 5 October 2014 20:49, UK
Promoter Eddie Hearn believes that Josh Warrington can achieve similar popularity as Ricky Hatton after winning the European featherweight title.
The 23-year-old Leeds fighter added this latest belt to his collection with a fourth-round stoppage of Davide Dieli on Saturday night, to the delight of a packed out First Direct Arena in his hometown.
Warrington, who sold close to 2,000 tickets himself, is growing in popularity and stature, with the European belt sitting alongside British and Commonwealth titles which were all won in the last few months.
He still has plenty of work to do if he is to emulate Hatton, a two-weight world champion who attracted legions of fans to Las Vegas for fights against superstars Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
But Hearn hopes the unbeaten Yorkshireman can also attract widespread support in the future.
"We've got something major here," said Hearn.
Fans
"I've not seen anything like that. Belfast and Glasgow are wonderful cities, but you don't see a thousand people taking their shirts off and swinging them over their heads.
"This is the kind of support Ricky Hatton had back in those days, it's fanatical. It's not just 'let's go to Leeds and watch some boxing'. It's about one person, it's about Josh Warrington, it's a fanatical support and that means so much to someone's career."
Warrington had previously defeated British rivals Rendall Munroe and Martin Lindsay this year, leaving him just behind the respected Lee Selby in the domestic ranks.
The Welshman will edge closer to a world title shot if he defeats Australian Joel Brunker this Saturday, live on Sky Sports, but Warrington is hot on his heels and ambitiously targeted WBA king Nonito Donaire after his latest win.
Asked about his rapid rise, he said: "I couldn't really predict what would have happened 12 months ago. It's been a real rollercoaster ride.
"Picking up the Commonwealth, British and now European (titles) has been unbelievable but I'm loving every minute of it."
