had to bet on Lara, even though he is almost a 3 to 1 favorite.....just dont see it being close
auricio Lara and Leigh Wood clash in a quick-fire featherweight title rematch on a big night of boxing in Manchester tonight.
The WBA title is only on the line for Wood though, after a high weight check earlier in the week led to the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) ruling that it would not be safe for Lara to weigh in on Friday under 128.5lbs, still well over the the 126lbs limit. He weighed in nearly four pounds heavier than Wood, with the sanctioning body confirming that the Mexican has been stripped of his title as a result.
A little over three months is all that has passed since a fateful night in Nottingham, when hometown favourite Wood boxed wonderfully against his ultra-dangerous challenger in front of a raucous crowd and led on all three judges scorecards, before letting his focus slip for a split-second in the seventh round and paying the full price as he was felled by a vicious left hook to the chin.
Trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel to prevent any further punishment, with the hard-hitting and explosive Lara sensing more fireworks as he grabbed the WBA belt at 126lbs to become a world champion for the first time in his career. But it’s proved to be short-lived.
Wood was left to rue his costly error on the night, but quickly set about planning to earn back the title he won with an upset of Xu Can in 2021 and defended successfully in a thrilling win over Michael Conlan, while Lara continued his ugly feud with Josh Warrington after allegedly spitting at his former opponent at ringside.
The stakes are high indeed on a huge night in a lively featherweight division, with Conlan also challenging Luis Alberto Lopez - who squeezed past Warrington on points in December - for his IBF gold in Belfast.
The main undercard is due to start at 7pm BST, with main event ring walks anticipated at around 10pm as things stand. As ever, those timings are subject to change depending on the length of the earlier bouts.
auricio Lara and Leigh Wood clash in a quick-fire featherweight title rematch on a big night of boxing in Manchester tonight.
The WBA title is only on the line for Wood though, after a high weight check earlier in the week led to the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) ruling that it would not be safe for Lara to weigh in on Friday under 128.5lbs, still well over the the 126lbs limit. He weighed in nearly four pounds heavier than Wood, with the sanctioning body confirming that the Mexican has been stripped of his title as a result.
A little over three months is all that has passed since a fateful night in Nottingham, when hometown favourite Wood boxed wonderfully against his ultra-dangerous challenger in front of a raucous crowd and led on all three judges scorecards, before letting his focus slip for a split-second in the seventh round and paying the full price as he was felled by a vicious left hook to the chin.
Trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel to prevent any further punishment, with the hard-hitting and explosive Lara sensing more fireworks as he grabbed the WBA belt at 126lbs to become a world champion for the first time in his career. But it’s proved to be short-lived.
Wood was left to rue his costly error on the night, but quickly set about planning to earn back the title he won with an upset of Xu Can in 2021 and defended successfully in a thrilling win over Michael Conlan, while Lara continued his ugly feud with Josh Warrington after allegedly spitting at his former opponent at ringside.
The stakes are high indeed on a huge night in a lively featherweight division, with Conlan also challenging Luis Alberto Lopez - who squeezed past Warrington on points in December - for his IBF gold in Belfast.
Lara vs Wood 2 date, start time, venue and ring walks
Lara vs Wood 2 takes place at the AO Arena in Manchester on a bumper night of boxing today on Saturday May 27, 2023 - the same night as Lopez vs Conlan and the WBO cruiserweight title clash between Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billam-Smith in Bournemouth.The main undercard is due to start at 7pm BST, with main event ring walks anticipated at around 10pm as things stand. As ever, those timings are subject to change depending on the length of the earlier bouts.
