Contrary to popular opinion, Leigh Wood couldn’t wait to get this one back on the calendar.
The reigning WBA featherweight titlist had to laugh at the suggestion that he found a way out of a previously scheduled fight with streaking contender Mauricio ‘Bronco’ Lara. The two were due to meet last September 24, only for Wood to suffer a biceps injury which forced a postponement.
At the time, it was assumed to be a cancellation and means for Wood to get out of the fight—including the man who was due to stand in the opposite corner that evening.
“A lot of people were claiming that I faked the injury, especially Lara,” Wood noted to BoxingScene.com. “He started talking a lot of sh!t. He said I was faking the injury.
“It was good to get the fight rescheduled. It will be more satisfying to get the win.”
Wood (26-2, 16KOs) made a point to revisit the fight, which headlines a February 18 DAZN show from Nottingham Arena in his hometown of Nottingham, England.
The fight was Wood’s first order of business after receiving a long overdue upgrade to full WBA titlist from his previous ‘Regular’ title status. The only real delay in revisiting the fight with Mexico City’s Lara (25-2-1, 18KOs) was waiting out a year-long ordered title consolidation clash with WBA ‘Super’ featherweight titlist Leo Santa Cruz (37-2-1, 19KOs), who hadn’t fought at the weight since February 2019 and—as it turned out—had no real intention of ever returning to the division.
At one point, a purse bid hearing was averted when it was revealed to the WBA that both sides reached terms. It was teased that the fight would take place last November in the U.S., only for separate title defenses to be scheduled. Santa Cruz was rumored to face WBC titlist Rey Vargas in a unification bout that never saw the light of day.
Wood’s fight with Lara was actually on the books for September 24 before he suffered his untimely injury which prompted the WBA to put the title consolidation clash back in play. Wood’s team was so confident of Santa Cruz never again returning to the division that there were already tentative plans to reschedule with Lara, who is unbeaten in his last fifteen starts and who bet365 sportsbook lists as a -250 favorite to end the Brit’s title reign.
It’s a role to which Wood has grown accustomed. He was a significant underdog in his July 2021 title challenge of Xu Can, whom he stopped in the 12th and final round to win the belt. The odds were slightly closer but still stacked against Wood in his first title defense, an off-the-canvas, 12th round knockout of unbeaten challenger Michael Conlan last March 12 in the very venue that will host his bout with Lara.
Not only is it a dangerous title defense, but one that Wood never had to take. The 34-year-old is in the voluntary stage of his title reign but wasn’t interested in any other challenge.
“My team and I all believe this is a perfect style for me,” insisted Wood. “Yes, he’s dangerous, but the way he fights really suits me. Plus, this is what the sport’s all about. You have to want to test yourself, find out what you’re all about.
“Especially at this stage of my career, I don’t want to get to this level and then pick and choose the safest guys to fight. That would be like getting to the top of the league in football and then only playing the bottom of the league. You want to test yourself and give fans the fights they will remember.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox