Kid Galahad is literally living in the gym these days, staying ready for any opportunity—one in particular which he will continue to pursue.
“I’m being quarantined. For the past four weeks, I’ve been stuck in here, training every day and grinding,” Galahad (27-1, 16KOs) told promoter Eddie Hearn during an Instagram Live interview, while laid out in a makeshift bed from the gym in his hometown of Sheffield, England. “I’m staying fit, got to be ready.”
The veteran featherweight contender is among the small handful of boxers fortunate enough to have fought so far in 2020. Galahad (birth name Abdul Barry Award) manhandled Claudio Marrero en route to an 8th round stoppage in their title eliminator this past February in his Sheffield hometown.
The win should have provided a clear path to a rematch with unbeaten featherweight titlist Josh Warrington (30-0, 7KOs), against whom Galahad suffered a narrow and disputed defeat last June. A straightaway shot at revenge and the title is what the resurgent challenger had—and still has—in mind
“It was a good performance, but listen… when are you getting me that world title shot?,” Galahad questioned his promoter. “Don’t start Eddie! You know I’m the number one featherweight!”
“I’m sorry, the Wi-Fi must be bad,” Hearn quipped, before explaining the significance of Warrington’s next intended target.
The unbeaten titlist was on the verge of facing China’s Can Xu (18-2, 3KOs) in a unification bout, targeted to take place sometime this summer at the 21,000-seat Emerald Headingley Stadium in his hometown of Leeds, England. Those plans—much like the sport as a whole—remain firmly on hold in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Regardless of the order in which he gets a second crack at Warrington, there remains the confidence that he will claim what he felt was his the first time around.
“My honest opinion, I know I beat him and I knows he knows I beat him,” insists Galahad. “In this rematch, when I fight him, trust me Eddie. It ain’t going past eight rounds.
“Honest to God, I will stop Josh Warrington and I know he knows I’ll beat him.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox