Leigh Wood vs. Josh Warrington Preview & Prediction
By Matt Elliott
There is a mouthwatering clash in Sheffield this weekend, as Leigh Wood (27-3) defends his WBA featherweight title against Josh Warrington (31-2-1). The narrative to date has been one of respect, between two men who acknowledge their opponents’ strengths, and their own weaknesses, but who are both determined to walk out victorious in what promises to be an electric atmosphere, as fans from Nottingham and Leeds descend on the neutral venue, looking to cheer their man onto victory.
For Warrington, this is a last chance saloon to dine at the top table once again. He has enjoyed a memorable career in which he has already been a two-time IBF world champion, which includes three consecutive victories over Lee Selby, Carl Frampton, and Kid Galahad. Of late, though, his form has stuttered, with only one victory in his last four, although that run includes the second fight against Lara, which ended prematurely as a result of a head clash. Warrington has always dreamed of a big fight in Vegas; victory could keep those hopes alive, but defeat will surely shatter them once and for all.
Wood’s career has followed a different trajectory. He debuted two years later than Warrington, and despite a run of victories, it wasn’t until 2021 that he found his way into the world title picture. Those opportunities seem to have been extinguished when he lost to Jazza Dickens in 2020, but fate would see him get that chance, when he stepped in to fight Can Xu at just six weeks’ notice at Matchroom’s fight camp. An underdog going into the fight, Wood put in a brilliant performance to defeat Xu, earning a twelfth-round TKO and becoming the WBA Regular champion. After a successful defence against Mick Conlan, that belt would be upgraded to full title status when Leo Santa Cruz vacated the main title, leaving Wood to pursue a unification bout. However, in a surprise move, Wood opted to accept a fight with Mauricio Lara, the first man to defeat Warrington, which backfired when Lara knocked him out in February. Fortunately for Wood, there was a rematch clause, and he regained the belt in May to set up this clash.
On paper, this has all of the ingredients to be a fantastic showdown. Warrington, whilst on a mixed run of form, showed in the later rounds against Luis Alberto Lopez, that he can still be a handful at this level, albeit you can also argue that Lopez slowed down in that fight. Wood has the greater power and against Xu, Conlan, and more recently, Lara he has displayed that, and it earned him the victories. Both men will need to be prepared for a dogfight, as this one is unlikely to be a boxing classic, with the man most willing to go to hell and back, likely to come out on top.
Whilst Wood is the older of the two, he is the one in the form of his life, as even in defeat to Lara earlier this year, he was dominating the fight until he was caught. Warrington only has eight knockouts on his record, and it’s hard to see how he stops Wood; therefore, he will be reliant on building an early lead and then withstanding whatever Wood can throw. I can see Warrington getting in front, but as he tires, I think Wood catches him and ends this one via knockout.
In the pick of the undercard fights, Terri Harper (14-1-1) defends her WBA super welterweight title against Cecilia Braekhus (37-2) as well as fighting for the vacant WBO strap. This fight was originally scheduled for the undercard of Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron back in May before Braekhus pulled out due to illness on the morning of the event. Harper went on to fight Ivana Habazin a week later, but there was always hope of this one being rearranged. Harper will be a clear favourite, although Brakehus can not be written off. The First Lady of boxing is heavily lauded as someone who brought eyes to the world of the women’s game and she will be looking to roll back the years, as she once again aims to become a world champion.
Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
FightPost: Boxing & MMA News 