Josh Warrington wants Leo Santa Cruz fight next in the United States

IBF world featherweight champion Josh Warrington wants to fight four-weight world champion Leo Santa Cruz in the United States in his next fight.

Warrington, 31, regained his title with a seventh-round stoppage of Spain's Kiko Martinez in Leeds on Saturday.

"Santa Cruz is a name I've been shouting out for a long time," said Warrington, who suffered a broken jaw and left hand in the Martinez fight.

Mexican Santa Cruz, 33, is the current WBA super-featherweight champion.

"Santa Cruz was the champion when I first won the title back in 2018," added Warrington. "It's got the attachment of going to America - how long have I been saying I want to go to the States?

"I've done everything I want to do over here in terms of the venues I want to fight in.

"It's a personal goal I want to achieve by fighting in America in someone else's backyard - Santa Cruz in the States."

All of Santa Cruz's last 20 fights have been in the States and he has held world titles at bantamweight, super-bantamweight, featherweight and super-featherweight.

He was the last man to hold the WBA 'super' version of the featherweight championship, although his two last fights have been at the super-featherweight category.

Warrington has also spoken of his desire to fight Mauricio Lara for a third time.

Lara, 24, is the only man to beat Warrington in 33 fights as a professional after a shock ninth-round win in February 2021, with their rematch seven months later ending in two rounds when the Mexican suffered a cut following an accidental clash of heads.

Another potential opponent is Nottingham's 33-year-old Leigh Wood, who retained his WBA 'regular' featherweight championship last month thanks to a dramatic last-round knockout of Ireland's Michael Conlan.

"Those fights would be fantastic," added Warrington.

"Santa Cruz, then putting Lara to bed and then Leigh Wood, a big domestic showdown at [Nottingham Forest's] the City Ground.

"That would be fantastic. I would be more than happy with that. Let's just see what happens."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/60957629