IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington (29-0, 6 KOs) will make the third defense of his world title against France’s Sofiane Takoucht (35-3-1, 13 KOs) on October 12 at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. Warrington will be returning to the venue he has lit up throughout his career and where he defeated then mandatory challenger Kid Galahad in June. His challenger Takoucht is a former European champion and ranked fourth in the latest IBF rankings.

Promoter Frank Warren explained, “We wanted to make the Oscar Valdez unification fight for Josh, but he is giving up the WBO title and moving up in weight. I know how much Josh wants the WBA champion, Leo Santa Cruz but he doesn’t seem keen right now. If you look at the IBF ratings, number one and two are vacant, and Takoucht was pretty much the next available contender.”