IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington is unimpressed by Kid Galahad in the build-up to this week’s big world title showdown at the First Direct Arena, Leeds on Saturday night. The champion is bristling with fury because mandatory challenger, Galahad (26-0, 15KOs) – whose real name is Barry Awad – is doing most of his talking on social media during the build-up.

Warrington snapped, “I’m looking forward to sorting Barry out. He has talked a lot in the media and social media, but doesn’t say much when we go head-to-head on that front. The way he has gone about it during the build-up has been a bit cringey. He is in for hard night.

“I don’t know if he is trying to use a certain persona or be a certain character to get to me.”

Warrington (28-0, 6 KOs) will be making the second defense of his crown. He took the belt from Lee Selby last May and came through a war against Carl Frampton in December.

He claims to have seen a change in Galahad since his epic win against Selby in front of 25,000 fans at Elland Road.

“I have known Barry from the amateur days,” recalled Warrington who defeated Galahad twice when they were amateurs. “I can even remember speaking to him at the Boxing Writers’ Club dinner in 2014 when we both nominated for young fighter of the year and he was right as rain.

“Over the last year this different person has come out, by disrespecting myself and other fighters in the division like Frampton. If he is trying to get under my skin it isn’t working and almost laughable, but it has given me more motivation to do a number.”