Will Josh Warrington and Leeds gate-crash Vegas in 2020?

The fervent Leeds United supporter is one of the hottest properties in UK boxing right now and has the potential to become the most popular fighter since Ricky 'Hitman' Hatton.

Boxing365 understands that Anthony Joshua is in another league, especially to the casual market. We also know that 'AJ' is the biggest ticket seller in world boxing and his success on Sky Sports Box Office in unparalleled. However, Warrington is certainly very similar to Hatton in terms of translating his charm to football fans and leaving them with some unforgettable nights. The 'Leeds Warrior' is an avid Leeds United fan and attends Elland Road on a regular basis to watch his beloved club every weekend. He even had winger Pablo Hernandez join him on the ring walk for his most recent IBF title defence against Frenchman Sofia Takoucht… although Hatton did have the Gallagher brothers from Oasis alongside him when he fought in Las Vegas.

The featherweight champion heads into the new year with his unbeaten record (30-0) intact after victories over Kid Galahad and Takoucht. Whilst Galahad proved a tricky customer with his jab and grab tactics, there was no doubt about Warrington's victories over Lee Selby and Carl Frampton in 2018. The 28-year-old, who defeated Selby in front of 25,000 fans at the home of Leeds United, has even starred in a documentary film titled 'Fighting for a City', which followed Warrington pursuit to achieve his lifelong dream of becoming world champion in his hometown.

The question is, what's next for the IBF king? The Briton has made it clear he wants to challenge himself across the pond and become the #1 fighter in the featherweight division. A stumbling block for Warrington could be the IBF's policy for mandatory defences - they rarely give exceptions meaning the winner of Galahad and Claudio Marrero could be set to face Warrington next. Should they force him to make a fourth defence of the strap, this could delay a unification clash until the back-end of next year. Galahad, who is the overwhelming favourite to win the IBF eliminator was a handful and could prove to be a stubborn opponent again.

The top of Warrington's wish list is WBC king Gary Russell Jnr. The two-time world champion has defended his WBC belt on five occasions but if being honest, the opponents of recent are hardly world beaters. Since his one and only defeat to pound-for-pound great Vasyl Lomachenko, Russell has been inactive with just four fights in as many years against the likes of Patrick Hyland and an over-the-hill Kiko Martinez. Warrington beat both in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The only issue would be the location as Russell isn't a regular on the Nevada strip, but Warrington would more than likely welcome a bout in either New York or Los Angeles.

The WBO title is currently up for grabs and a new champion is expected to be crowned on October 26 as Shakur Stevenson takes on fellow American Joet Gonzalez for the vacant strap (unless it ends as a draw). Despite negotiations with Frank Warren about a fight with Warrington, Oscar Valdes decided to drop the belt and move up to 130-lbs instead. Meanwhile, Belfast's Frampton, who is signed to Top Rank like Stevenson, is waiting in the wings to challenge the winner of Stevenson-Gonzalez and should he win, he may be able to persuade Warrington in signing for a rematch. The other current recognised titleholder in the 126-lb division is Leo Santa Cruz. However that could soon change as the Mexican returns to action on the Deontay Wilder versus Luis Ortiz undercard in November to challenge for the WBA version at super featherweight.

Talking about the state of the featherweight division, Warrington told DAZN News: "If the Russell fight can be made, then happy days."The two other champions have gone up in weight, Valdez was ranked number one in Ring Magazine's rankings and I was number two so if I'd of beaten him I would become numero uno and have another shiny belt too. But he's vacated and moved up. I can't fight for those belts now because I'm not ranked by those organizations. Shakur Stevenson is in line to fight for the WBO. I don't know what's going to happen with the WBA and if they promote Can Xu to super champion (but) he's the only one with a belt at the moment and he's hungry for a fight. I'm hungry for a fight so it makes sense to face him."

There's a small chance Warrington could potentially vacate the title to make his debut on American soil. As previously mentioned, Warrington could very well be ordered to fight Galahad once again. Sean O'Hagan, father and trainer to Warrington, has previously suggested the rematch isn't the most appealing fight out there for Team Warrington. If so, then maybe moving up to super featherweight could be a viable option with IBF 130-lb titleholder Tevin Farmer considering vacating the title in order to become a two-weight champion.Either way, 2020 promises to be an electric year for the 'Leeds Warrior' and we can all imagine a Leeds takeover in the States for a weekend whilst chanting Marching on Together with a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other.