Boxing: All-Yorkshire bout between Josh Warrington and Kid Galahad ruled out by promoter Frank Warren

Galahad, who is the mandatory challenger for Warrington’s IBF featherweight title, was in the crowd for Saturday’s bout between Warrington and Carl Frampton and attempted to enter the ring after the final bell.

Warrington is beginning the search for his next contest after retaining the IBF belt with a crushing points win over Frampton at Manchester Arena and could head to America for a unification meeting with one of the nine-stone division’s other major belt holders.

Galahad, who was hit with a doping suspension after testing positive for a banned steroid in 2015, has a perfect 26-fight record and out-pointed Nicaragua’s Brayan Mairena in an eight-round outing earlier this month but a fight with the 28-year-old lacks the profile of other potential match-ups for Warrington.

Warren, Warrington’s promoter, categorically ruled out a meeting with Galahad and responded to a question about his chances of an immediate IBF shot by saying: “What do you think?

“Any fight with Josh in now is appealing. If you had the list, that list of fights, and you wrote it on a length of wallpaper that (Galahad) would be at the bottom.”

Warren revealed after Saturday’s clash that Warrington had been installed by the WBO as their mandatory contender, putting him in direct line for a fight with reigning WBO champion Oscar Valdez, the governing body’s holder since 2016.

Unbeaten Valdez, 28, has never fought outside of Mexico or the United States and Warrington said he is ready to travel across the Atlantic next year for a unification bout with Valdez, WBA holder Leo Santa Cruz or WBC champion Gary Russell Jr.

Warren, though, said: “We’ll go wherever is best for Josh. It may be America. It will be wherever suits us.

“I know where we’re at and we’re going into 2019 in a very strong position.

“I’d like the Valdez fight. We tried to make it for Carl but (Valdez) was injured and I’d like the Valdez fight for Josh. It goes without saying.

“I think Josh beats Valdez. I believe he beats Santa Cruz. I believe he beats them all.”

Frampton held a similar reputation after beating Santa Cruz to win the WBA crown two-and-a-half years ago but the Belfast boxer cut a battered figure at the end of his loss on Saturday and is deciding whether to extend a stellar 28-fight career.

“We signed new long-term contracts with both (Frampton and Warrington) before the fight and whatever Carl wants to do, I’ll be with him 100 per cent,” Warren said. “If he said he wanted to pack it in I’d support him 100 per cent.

“It’s difficult for anyone to make a decision.

“He’s very disappointed. I just said to him ‘I know you’re disappointed but you can only give what you’ve got and you did that’.”