Warburton says pressure is on Heaney before Birmingham farewell
Nathan Heaney will box for the final time on Saturday 26 September. The 37-year-old meets Gerome Warburton again at Birmingham's BP Pulse Live venue, with Warburton insisting the pressure sits squarely on Heaney.
“The pressure is still on him,” Warburton told BBC Sport Wales ahead of the rematch BBC Sport. It is a blunt message from a fighter who already owns a win in this match-up. Warburton, 31, beat the former British champion on points in March, meaning the judges scored him ahead over the distance.
That win brought the WBA Continental middleweight title, a regional belt that can move a boxer closer to world-level contention. It happened at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena in front of 15,000 fans. More than 2,000 of them had made the trip from Heaney’s home city of Stoke-on-Trent.
There was no rematch clause in the deal, so Heaney was not contractually owed a second fight. He wanted one anyway. He will now retire after this return, win or lose.
Warburton comes from Colwyn Bay and was born in Bodelwyddan. Nicknamed The Bread Maker, he turned professional in 2019 and won the Welsh middleweight title with victory over Morgan Jones. He has boxed 21 times as a professional, with only two defeats.
One of those losses came against Kieron Conway when the pair fought for the vacant British middleweight title in May 2025. The British title is the domestic crown, the prize that marks a fighter as the best in the country at his weight. Heaney has held that belt before. His own record stands at 19 wins from 22 professional bouts.
The rematch is scheduled for Birmingham on 26 September and will be broadcast on DAZN, according to promoter Queensberry Queensberry. It is part of a card that also includes Liam Davies against Nathaniel Collins NEC Birmingham.
What makes this stand out is the clarity for both men. Warburton has youth, momentum and a previous decision on his side. Heaney has experience, big home support and one last night to get it right. No belts beyond the Continental title picture need explaining. The story is simple. One last walk, one familiar opponent.
