\n<\/p>\n
Warburton, from Colwyn Bay, described his win over Heaney at Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena in March as “surreal”.<\/p>\n
He fought before a crowd of 15,000, which included over 2,000 of Heaney’s supporters from Stoke-on-Trent, on that triumphant night.<\/p>\n
“There was a lot of pressure on me to win the fight – I don’t know where I’d have gone if I’d have lost it,” Warburton said.<\/p>\n
“But I took the opportunity with both hands, dealt with everything in the best possible way I could and got the job done.<\/p>\n
“People didn’t expect me to perform the way that I did.<\/p>\n
“But my management, my team around me, they all believe in me and they know what I’m capable of. On the night I showed it.”<\/p>\n
With no rematch clause stipulated in the deal struck for Warburton’s previous meeting with Heaney, the southpaw boxer had eyes on other prizes.<\/p>\n
But one phone call altered the Welshman’s plans, and left him with an easy decision.<\/p>\n
“We were looking at maybe taking the next step ahead, maybe potentially fighting for another title or something like that,” Warburton explained.<\/p>\n
“We had a few opportunities that we turned down. We weren’t in any rush.<\/p>\n
“Then we got a phone call to say that Nathan Heaney said that he wants his last fight to be against you. Would you take it?<\/p>\n
“We just said yes straight away. It’s just an opportunity that you can’t turn down, so we took it.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n