Wood Beats Lara

Leigh Wood, the British professional boxer, reclaimed his WBA featherweight champion title in a resounding victory over Mauricio Lara. The fight was held on June 1, 2023, in Manchester, and Wood won convincingly with scores of 116-111, 118-109, and 118-109. Lara, on the other hand, struggled to keep up with Wood, looking ragged and drained throughout the match.

Lara, who missed weight earlier in the week, was stripped of his title by the British Boxing Board of Control on Friday. This meant that Wood was the only one who could leave Manchester with the WBA belt, and he did just that. Wood dropped Lara in the second round and then dominated the fight until the end.

Wood was happy with the outcome of the fight and credited his team for the win. He said, “I wasn’t losing no matter what. 10 lbs, whatever, I wasn’t losing tonight. Mauricio Lara is a great fighter, but I have a great team and knew what I had to do. This is what I’m here for. I’m here for hard fights. I may get beat, but guess what? I’ll come back and beat them.”

Wood's fans from Nottingham were in attendance, and he hopes to get his next fight at City Ground, the home of Nottingham Forest F.C. He also expressed interest in fighting Josh Warrington or Luis Alberto Lopez in a unification bout.

Wood's victory was a testament to his skill and hard work, as he boxed his game plan effectively and did not allow Lara to mount any significant comeback. The body jab was a key to his success, not just to keep distance, but to build off it. Wood's performance was impressive and showed that he is a top contender in the featherweight division. With only two fights left, he is hoping for a happy ending to his career.