Luis Alberto Lopez claimed the IBF featherweight title with a majority decision over Josh Warrington in Leeds after a sometimes messy, but always hard-fought battle.

Lopez built up a big lead, landing heavy shots from odd angles but he had to withstand a brave late fightback from Warrington in the final four rounds.

The Mexican had to deal with a nasty cut by a left eye from the second round, but as Lopez tired late on, he started to hold.

One judge, Howard Foster scored it a draw, 114-114, while Adam Height and Mike Fitzgerald gave it 115-113 to Lopez.

“I’m really happy, as I said it the build-up this is my moment, it comes from hard work over a long career,” Lopez said.

“I had to respect him coming into his city, I knew he was a dirty fighter but he surprised me, hitting me to the leg and the glutes. I don’t think the referee did his job. Boxers need to be looked after , it’s a dangerous sport.”

Warrington, though, thought he had done enough to hold on to his title.

“It’s a 12-round fight, I started off slow and he started off giddy,” he said. “But after four or five rounds, I did a lot of work inside. Because of the stigma that I’m a dirty fighter, he was playing off that a lot. He got cut from an accidental clash of heads, he was coming forward when I had my head down.

“But he was constantly holding inside. At one point one shot went low and hit him on his leg but he made a right meal of it. On the inside I hurt him to the body and last three rounds the body shots were ripping into him and all he wanted to do was hold. After one warning you expect a point or two.

“I know it was close at one point, but wild punches when they are hitting on the gloves are not scoring points. I’m devastated to lose my title like that.”

Warrington landed an early jab, but was forced to cover up as Lopez came after him swinging. Lopez was on the front foot for most of the opening round, although Warrington finished it well as he landed hooks that made Lopez back off.

There was success for Lopez in the second round as he loaded up on punches, but the Mexican then reeled away from a clash of heads with blood streaming from a cut over his left eye. He had complained about a clash of heads in the first, but while this do not look deliberate (heads cracked together when Warrington was throwing a right hand), it looked a bad injury.

Warrington started to have more success in the third round, as he tagged the Mexican with a pair of left hooks, but Lopez came back well with a straight right and a good body shot, before landing and uppercut through Warrington’s guard.

The fourth was a good round for Lopez as he kept the pressure on, despite Warrington looking a bit for aggressive and frantic. There was a better fifth round for the champion, though, as he roughed Lopez up in close.

Warrington kept on Lopez’s chest for the first half of the sixth, but as the fight opened up both had success – Warrington landing well with the left hook and Lopez with an uppercut.

They both landed well in the seventh as the fight got more open, but Lopez’s body punching seemed to be having an effect.

Lopez started the eighth round with a spring in his step, and while Warrington landed with a good burst, the Mexican’s heavy hitting seemed to be slowing him down.

In the ninth round, Warrington landed a punch behind his hip and was given a time-out to recover and Warrington had his best moments for some rounds as he came after Lopez on the resumption. And in the tenth round, it was Lopez holding on to Warrington as the Mexican showed the first signs of tiring.

Warrington did well in the eleventh, getting through with the left hook, but he could not summon the all-out attack he seemed to need. Then a left hook seemed to badly hurt Lopez, who complained about a clash of heads, but Lopez looked to be struggling now as Warrington threw everything into it.

In the last round, Lopez got a serious warning from referee Bob Williams for holding. Warrington went right after Lopez, chasing him across the ring. Lopez held his feet and started to throw back, but Warrington landed clean with a left hook and for the last minute it was Warrington with the upper hand as Lopez traded.

Afterwards, Warrington said he did not plan to retire but still spoke of wanting a fight in the United States.

“Maybe unifying is a step too far now but I can still have a big fight against one of the champions,” he said. “I feel a little bit hard done by.”

Ron Lewis is a senior writer for BoxingScene. He was Boxing Correspondent for The Times, where he worked from 2001-2019 - covering four Olympic Games and numerous world title fights across the globe. He has written about boxing for a wide variety of publications worldwide since the 1980s.