Josh Warrington v Kiko Martinez: Leeds fighter eyes Lee Selby shot to end rivalry

Warrington (left) meets Martinez on Saturday, but has eyes on Selby

Josh Warrington hopes to finally settle his feud with IBF world featherweight champion Lee Selby.

Leeds' Warrington fights Spanish former super-bantamweight world champion Kiko Martinez in his home city on Saturday.

The 26-year-old, who takes an unbeaten 24-fight record into the bout at the First Direct Arena, has one eye on ending "friction" with Welshman Selby.

"The fight and animosity have been stewing for a while and I'm very eager to prove my doubters wrong," he said.

"Last year, Selby was red-hot favourite as the world champion I'd challenge. It didn't happen, but the fight's certainly not dead.

"He gives me no credit. Let's just settle it."

Warrington said Selby, world champion since 2015, has "good variety" in the ring and is "usually very busy for six rounds".

But he added: "He thinks he's a banger when he's not. He puts far too much into his punches then fades."

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Selby, who has 24 wins and a single loss on his record, has been frustrated over the past 12 months.

A fight against Jonathan Victor Barros in Las Vegas in January was called off with hours to spare, when the Argentine failed to make the weight.

Selby, who has since left promoters Matchroom Sport, is due to meet Barros in June, by which time the Barry fighter will have had just one non-title match in 14 months.

There has been talk of a fight between Selby and Northern Ireland's Carl Frampton, but Warrington is hopeful he will get his shot in a fight he believes would be staged in Leeds.

Saturday's fight with Martinez - who lost the IBF super-bantamweight title to Frampton in 2014 - tops a bill on which two-time Olympic champion Nicola Adams also features.

Martinez, 31, has lost seven of his 44 fights but his past three defeats have come in world title fights - to Frampton, Scott Quigg and Leo Santa Cruz.

Warrington (right) tops the bill when Nicola Adams meets Mexico's Maryan Salazar in Leeds on Saturday night