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Preview: Josh Warrington, Ricky Burns, Callum Smith fight in Leeds

:Headline: Preview: Josh Warrington, Ricky Burns, Callum Smith fight in Leeds: ID:180203: from db_amp
Sports Mole previews Matchroom Sport's Battle Lines event which takes place in Leeds on Saturday evening.

Josh Warrington will be hoping to extend his unbeaten record to 19 matches when he faces Davide Dieli for the vacant European title at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on Saturday evening.

The hometown favourite headlines a bill that also includes Ricky Burns's light-welterweight debut against Alexandre Lepelley and Callum Smith's super-middleweight clash with Rafael Sosa Pintos, while the likes of Tyrone Nurse, Brian Rose and Stephen Simmons will feature on the undercard.

Below, Sports Mole takes a look at the top three matches in Yorkshire as well as attempting to predict the outcome of each bout.

1. Josh Warrington vs. Davide Dieli

After a low-key start to his professional career, Josh Warrington caught people's eye with a tireless performance to beat Samir Mouneimne at the end of 2013, and that victory has slowly catapulted the 23-year-old into one of Great Britain's 'ones to watch'.

Since the Mouneimne triumph, Warrington has defeated both Rendall Munroe and Martin Lindsay in convincing fashion to make it 18 successes on the bounce, and the work-rate and skill-set that he has displayed in his most recent fights has seen Eddie Hearn secure the Leeds-based boxer a European title shot in front of his home fans.

It's a real rise to prominence for Warrington, who has helped revitalise boxing in the city, and he has the opportunity to make the First Direct Arena his own if he can continue to progress his career on Saturday night against Italian Davide Dieli.

The 35-year-old doesn't bring a whole lot to the table apart from a failed bid at the same belt in 2012 and while fighting for the European strap will be considered a step up for Warrington, it's Dieli who is being advanced to a new level and it's unknown how he will deal with the hostile atmosphere.

This fight appears to be perfect for Warrington to continue to make a name for himself in British boxing, and if he can deliver a similar kind of performance to that of his last three, he will continue along the road to what could be an inevitable meeting with Lee Selby at some point in the next 12 to 18 months.

2. Ricky Burns vs. Alexandre Lepelley

When Ricky Burns stepped into the ring with Dejan Zlaticanin in June, it was supposed to be a comfortable night's work for the Scot after he had seen his WBO lightweight title snatched from his grasp by American Terence Crawford.

However, a first-round knockdown began a disastrous evening for the 31-year-old as he succumbed to a points defeat, sparking more doubts from all angles about his ability to remain competitive at the highest level, but after weeks of contemplation, the decision was made for Burns to move up a weight to light-welterweight.

There will be mixed views on Burns's choice to fight at 140lbs but for a man who has never been a big puncher to seemingly lose his punch resistance by struggling to make weight at 135lbs, it's a logical move to try his luck in new company, although he may find it difficult to make inroads in an elite division.

That's a debate for a later date, though, and Burns will be fully focused on trying to earn his first victory since May 2013. Opponent Alexandre Lepelley has lost just once in 19 fights, but his knockout record is poor and the lack of bite in his punches should allow Burns to become accustomed to his new weight by going the distance to get back on the winning trail.

3. Callum Smith vs. Rafael Sosa Pintos

Callum Smith has used 2014 to tick a number of boxes on his way to picking up the WBC international strap in just his 12th fight, and he added to his resume with a quick stoppage on the undercard of Kell Brook's victory over Shawn Porter in California in August.

The Liverpudlian has already been lined up to face recent world title challenger Nikola Sjekloca in November as promoter Eddie Hearn looks to fast-track him towards a high-profile domestic showdown with George Groves or a world title shot in 2015, but the 24-year-old can't afford any complacency against Rafael Sosa Pintos.

The experienced Uruguayan has had limited success outside of South America, with the most notable achievements on his record from a global perspective being that he went the distance with Anthony Mundine and Matthew Macklin in lower weight divisions, but he has only being stopped once since 2009 so Smith may have to get out of first gear to end the fight early.

The Merseyside prospect should win easily enough on Saturday evening but he will be looking to make a statement ahead of what is a difficult fight with Sjekloca, who has only come up short against Sakio Bika and Arthur Abraham.

4. Rest of Undercard

Light-welterweight Tyrone Nurse, whose only defeat as a professional has come in a Prizefighter final, has the opportunity to make a big stride up the rankings in his contest for the vacant Commonwealth title with Dave Ryan.

Brian Rose, who came up short against WBO light-middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade earlier in 2014, is back in action against Ignacio Lucero Fraga, who has suffered seven defeats in 21 outings.

Cruiserweight Stephen Simmons, who is undefeated in 10 professional fights, has been placed into a six-rounder with Courtney Richards as he hopes to line up a bigger fight at the turn of the year.

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