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Josh Warrington has categorically ruled out retirement but admits he has had sleepless nights following his defeat by Luis Alberto Lopez at Leeds Arena.<\/span><\/p>\n “The first few nights were difficult because I closed my eyes and all I could do was see him celebrating,” Warrington, 32, told BBC Sport.<\/span><\/p>\n “It was hard to close my eyes and see him jumping around, holding my belt.”<\/span><\/p>\n He added: “I turned one side of the pillow, close my eyes, see him again.<\/span><\/p>\n “Then I turn the other side, close my eyes and I’d see him again.”<\/span><\/p>\n Warrington is a two-time world champion, with 31 victories, and says the defeat by Lopez has motivated him to return as soon as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n “On Monday and Tuesday [following the loss] I wanted to put my trainers on and start running. I wanted to get back into the gym,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n “If I didn’t have those feelings, it would be time to call it a day but it’s still there, that fire is still there.<\/span><\/p>\n “I’ve just lost a majority decision and people say it could have gone either way.<\/span><\/p>\n “I’ve not been disgraced, and I finished the fight stronger than he did but maybe I just got it wrong at the start. I’ve still got it and I want to put it right next year.”<\/span><\/p>\n Warrington is now hoping for a domestic fight with Leigh Wood or a trilogy with Mauricio Lara but understands he is now “the B-side”.<\/span><\/p>\n “Leigh Wood is going to be out soon and there’s talks about him facing Lara – why can’t I have the winner out of them two? I’ve got to be patient now because I’ve kind of gone on to the B-side,” Warrington said. <\/span><\/p>\n “They [Wood and his team] still want the fight because it’s a big fight domestically. <\/span><\/p>\n “That fight will bring a lot of pounds to the table and brings a lot of attention.”<\/span><\/p>\n After the defeat, ‘The Leeds Warrior’ posted an emotional message with his daughters on social media. <\/span><\/p>\n “It puts things into perspective that there’s more to life. I’m just daddy to them,” Warrington said.<\/span><\/p>\n “They came in, grabbed me, and cuddled me, said ‘daddy you are a champion’, and [my wife] took the photo because it was a special moment and I thought I’d share that.<\/span><\/p>\n “We are all good here because a lot of people can go dark, but we are all good over here.”<\/span><\/p>\n Lopez inflicted Warrington’s second loss after fellow Mexican Lara knocked him out in February 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n Warrington admits he struggled to process that first defeat but says he will not allow the Lopez result to affect his personal life.<\/span><\/p>\n “The girls, some of my mates and some of my other family members suffered when I lost to Lara because I shut myself away. It was my girls’ birthday the day after the fight, and I was trying to force myself to smile, and they suffered from that,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n “It’s Christmas and they are really excited. They are at an age now where everything is magical, and I said I’m not going to let them suffer because of that.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n‘I’m the B-side now’<\/h3>\n
‘I’m just daddy to them’<\/h3>\n