Josh Warrington and Sofiane Takoucht looked to be about the same size as they stood face-to-face Friday following their weigh-in.

Otherwise, there seems to be plenty that separates these featherweights as they head toward their 12-round, 126-pound featherweight title fight Saturday night at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England, Warrington’s hometown. Warrington, the IBF featherweight champion, has been installed by most Internet sports books as a 50-1 favorite over France’s Takoucht entering this optional defense of his title.

The 28-year-old Warrington weighed 125½ pounds when he stepped on the British Boxing Board of Control’s scale. He was a pound heavier than Takoucht, who officially came in at 124½.

Warrington will make the third defense of an IBF championship he won by upsetting Wales’ Lee Selby by split decision in May 2018 at Elland Road Football Ground in Leeds.

He edged England’s Kid Galahad (26-1, 15 KOs) by split decision in his last fight, a 12-rounder June 15 at First Direct Arena. Warrington won that fight on two scorecards (116-112, 116-113), but Galahad came out ahead on the other card (115-113) in a fight beset by holding initiated by Galahad, who was Warrington’s mandatory challenger.

The 33-year-old Takoucht (35-3-1, 13 KOs) has won seven fights in a row, but each against an average opponent or worse. He is ranked No. 4 in the IBF’s featherweight ratings.

Warrington and his promoter, Frank Warren, contend they wanted title unification fights against Leo Santa Cruz or Oscar Valdez. Santa Cruz (36-1-1, 19 KOs), the former WBA 126-pound champ, and Valdez (26-0, 20 KOs), the ex-WBO champ, both moved up to 130 pounds.

That, according to Warrington and Warren, led to making an optional defense against Takoucht.

Warrington-Takoucht will be the main event of a BT Sport telecast Saturday in the United Kingdom (7:30 p.m. BST). It’ll be streamed by ESPN+ in the United States (2:30 p.m. EDT/11:30 a.m. PDT).

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.