Warrington knows that he will need to score at least one notable win before he even enters contention for a world title opportunity but it sounds like he is willing to put in the work to get there.

Seven months ago, Josh Warrington laid down his gloves in the centre of the ring at Wembley Stadium. A tame, frustrating decision defeat to former IBF super featherweight champion, Anthony Cacace, persuaded Warrington that the time had come to to walk away from the sport that has given him so much.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND -- Seven months after symbolically leaving his gloves in the Wembley ring to signal retirement from a sport that has given him so much, former two-time world featherweight champion Josh Warrington returned with a 10-round unanimous decision (99-89, 99-90, 97-91) win against Asad Asif Khan.

MOMENTS after Anthony Cacace’s hand was raised at Wembley Stadium, the defeated Josh Warrington laid his gloves down in the middle of the ring. The message seemed clear: The Leeds Warrior was done fighting.

Dalton Smith is back in action next month as he takes on Canadian Mathieu Germain in a bid to keep himself busy with a world title shot around the corner. European champion Smith (17-0, 13 KOs), who destroyed Walid Ouizza in a round in his last outing back in January, is the mandatory challenger for WBC junior-welterweight champion Alberto Puello (24-0, 10 KOs), so he'll want to avoid any slip-ups.