Leigh Wood Has Decided Who He Wants Next After Mauricio Lara’s Defeat
Leigh Wood has confirmed her intention to rematch Mauricio Lara for the WBA featherweight title – and doesn’t like to wait too long.
The Nottingham man entered the fight with much praise for accepting such a difficult and explosive challenge in Lara. The Mexican had previously declared himself on the English coast with a shock loss to Josh Warrington in 2021.
Wood punched well against Lara, cheered by the home crowd and looked set to take the lead before the rounds got underway. However, the Mexican has proven that all the concerns that fans and experts expressed earlier are correct.
He pounced with his giant left hand as the pair traded, and landed much more efficiently than Wood, who fell hard and was incredibly stunned. The referee allowed the fight to continue, but Wood’s coach, Ben Davison, knew his boxer had not yet fully recovered.
Despite only ten seconds remaining in the seventh round, he gave up – a decision Wood didn’t like at the time but later agreed to.
The former champion told BBC Sports that he has a deadline for the rematch.
“It was difficult because it still hurt. I want an immediate rematch. I said [promoter] Eddie Hearn that’s what I want. I want the rematch as soon as possible.”
“I want it by the end of May at the earliest, or by June at the latest.”
Reflecting on the fight, Wood admitted that he was complacent in a fight he was involved in.
“I can’t say too much because I don’t want to reveal the game map, but I know that the first four innings are when he is most dangerous and then he relaxes. He was like I thought, and he didn’t know what I was doing.
“I just got caught with a good shot. I got complacent, started to stomp on the spot and paid the price.”
Lara is contracted for the second battle, so lengthy negotiations are unlikely. If he defeats Wood a second time, a three-way battle with rival Warrington awaits.
The Leeds man would have also been there looking for a shot if Wood had won, but was admits he would rather face the Mexicans for bad blood.