Former British champion Nathan Heaney will enter the ring for the final time on Saturday night as he faces Gerome Warburton in a rematch at the bp pulse LIVE Arena in Birmingham.
Heaney was on the wrong end of an upset when he suffered a unanimous points defeat to Warburton back in March and the Stoke native comes into the rematch as the underdog and has confirmed the bout will be his last as a professional.
Heaney vs Warburton II serves as the co-main event for the European featherweight title fight between Liam Davies vs Nathaniel Collins.
Nathan Heaney v Gerome Warburton Tips Preview
Nathan Heaney has enjoyed an impressive career that has seen him land the IBO world middleweight title and capture the British belt, but he has confirmed he intends to hang up his gloves after his rematch with Gerome Warburton on Saturday.
The Hitman went into the first fight as the clear favourite but went down on points via wide margins on all three scorecards as Warburton proved to be too slick for the 37-year-old.
Heaney started the bout as the aggressor but was unable to make any serious inroads as Warburton was able to dictate the pace with his counter punching and movement.
The fight was perhaps closer than the scorecards indicated, but ultimately Heaney can have no real complaints above the decision.
The Stoke fighter has the additional motivation of bidding to avoid bowing out on a losing note and we may see an improved performance from Heaney on Saturday.
However, Warburton is defending the WBA Continental middleweight title and if he can back up his victory over Heaney then he would put himself firmly on the path towards a shot at a full world title.
The Welshman has had a tough route to this point and a defeat to Kieron Conway in 2025 looked a major setback, but his win over Heaney in the first meeting could prove to be a significant turning point if he can win the rematch.
Nathan Heaney v Gerome Warburton Tale of the Tape
Nathan Heaney | Gerome Warburton | |
Record: | 19-2-1 | 17-2-2 |
Age: | 35 | 31 |
Birthplace: | Stoke, England | Bodelwyddan, Wales |
Height: | 6' 1" | 5' 10" |
Stance: | Orthodox | Southpaw |
Last Fight: | Loss (UD) Gerome Warburton (March 2026) | Won (UD) Nathan Heaney (March 2026) |
KO%: | 31.58 | 11.76 |
Alias: | Hitman | Bread Maker |
Nathan Heaney v Gerome Warburton Top Tips
Gerome Warburton to win by decision or technical decision @ 4/5
Nathan Heaney had been hoping to engineer a world title shot ahead of his first meeting with Gerome Warburton but his motivation is avoiding retiring on a loss going into the immediate rematch.
The popular Stoke fighter has now lost two of his last three fights and has only one win in his last four, whereas Warburton is a fighter who knows he can move forward on an upward trajectory if he backs up his win.
Heaney has never been a huge puncher and now he is in the latter stages of his career the tools that served him so well in the past are less effective.
The Hitman tends to try and outwork opponents with sustained attacks and volume, but Warburton was able to match and counter in the first meeting.
The Bread Maker outworked and outboxed Heaney back in March and he can secure a repeat result in the rematch.
Warburton's movement and counter punching, alongside an awkward southpaw style, proved to be the difference and it should be a case of the same again when the pair reconvene in Birmingham.
The scorecards possibly flattered Warburton in the first fight as there were a couple of rounds that could have gone either way but on balance he was the deserved winner.
At his best, Heaney would probably be too good for Warburton, but we haven’t seen an exceptional performance from the Hitman for some time now and he never really had Warburton in any kind of trouble in that first fight.
Like Heaney, Warburton isn't a big puncher and only two of his wins have come inside the distance.
This should be a tactical battle between two intelligent fighters but Warburton’s movement and superior engine can see him claim another points win over Heaney.
All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
