The Rematch: Mauricio Lara vs Leigh Wood Preview

The Rematch: Mauricio Lara vs Leigh Wood Preview

By Matt Elliott

Leigh Wood (26-3) heads to Manchester this weekend for his rematch with Mauricio Lara (26-2-1), as he looks to avenge February’s defeat and reclaim the WBA world featherweight title.

Credit should be given to Wood for jumping straight back in with Lara, a man that many consider to be the most dangerous in the division. That said, when you reflect back on that February night in Nottingham, there was plenty about the fight to give Wood confidence that, the second time around, he can come out victorious.

At the point the fight ended, Wood was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards, and he had executed, almost to perfection, a game plan set out to seemingly stifle and frustrate Lara. In the Mexican’s most recent performances, what has been most evident is that he lacks any form of real defence; he is a front-foot, aggressive, fast-paced fighter, who knows he will take punches, but has the confidence that he can absorb any punishment and hit back harder, and that strategy has proved largely successful, with nineteen knockouts from his twenty-nine fights to date.

Against Wood though, Lara was not having the early success that a fighter like him thrives on. Wood did suffer a cut during round one, following an accidental clash of heads, but Lara could not capitalise, and he was cutting a frustrated figure as the hometown fighter had the better of the exchanges. And then, almost from nowhere, Lara landed a huge left hook in round seven and the contest was over. Wood made it to his feet, but he was rightly saved by trainer Ben Davison, despite some dissenting voices that claimed his decision to throw in the towel was too premature.

So, as Wood and Davison sit down to execute their plan for this fight, it is difficult to see too much that needs changing. More of the same, but maintain maximum concentration at all times, and do not become overconfident, feels like the way to go – all easier said than done.

This is not a last-chance saloon for Wood, but defeat on Saturday would likely set up a trilogy fight between Mauricio Lara and Josh Warrington, in an attempt to settle the bad blood that has arisen between the pair. Across in Belfast on Saturday night, Michael Conlan faces Luis Alberto Lopez for the IBF featherweight title and, somewhere down the line, you would hope we could see Wood face-off against Conlan again, in a rematch of their epic 2022 showdown.

The undercard sees the long-awaited return to action for Jack Catterall (26-1), as he makes his Matchroom debut against Darragh Foley (22-4-1). It has been a rollercoaster fifteen months for Catterall following his controversial defeat to Josh Taylor, a fight many thought he won. Since that loss, Catterall has been represented by three different promotional outfits, two of which he never fought for, all in the pursuit of a rematch with Taylor which, despite several false dawns, never materialised. Taylor now moves on to a mandatory defence against Teofimo Lopez, and Catterall looks to relaunch his career under the stewardship of Eddie Hearn.

There is a late addition to the card as Terri Harper (13-1-1) looks to bounce back from the last-minute cancellation of her scheduled fight with Cecilia Braekhus last weekend, to defend her WBA super welterweight belt against Ivana Habazin (21-4). The Croatian is an experienced fighter who has been professional for over thirteen years, but Harper will be the clear favourite to defend her title.  

Other confirmed fights see Danny Ball (12-1-1) take on Jamie Robinson (15-5-2) for the English welterweight title and Campbell Hatton (11-0) returns to action after his first-round victory last month, taking on Michal Bulik (6-2). In the super featherweight division, Aqib Fiaz (11-0) takes on Costin Ion (10-3-2) as he looks to continue his progression and there is a second professional outing for Aaron Bowen (1-0) who takes on Aljaz Venko (5-3-1). The card also sees the professional debut of William Crolla who takes on fellow Brit Joe Hardy (2-9). Will is the younger brother of former WBA lightweight champion, Ant Crolla.  

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing