| Venue: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham Date: Saturday, 18 February |
| Coverage: Radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live from 22:00 GMT; live text coverage and reaction on BBC Sport website & app from 21:00 GMT. |
WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood says he is relishing being the underdog for his fight with Mexico’s Mauricio Lara.
Wood, 34, will defend his title in front of a home crowd at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on Saturday.
“That underdog mentality, not only do I thrive on it, I kind of need it,” Wood said at Thursday’s news conference.
“There’s nothing he can bring that I’m not prepared for. I’m ready for a smart, technical knockout.”
Wood has won 26 bouts, with two losses, since making his debut in 2011. Lara, 24, boasts a record of 25 wins, with two losses and one draw.
‘Nottingham is going to be hostile’
Wood’s inspiring journey to boxing stardom has been nothing short of spectacular.
He has gone from fighting in leisure centres to headlining arena bouts in his home city, and believes home advantage will prove the difference this weekend.
“It’s going to be special,” he said. “It’s going to be a wolf pit. A cauldron. Hostile.”
Wood’s never-give-up attitude has endeared him to fight fans. After losses to fellow Britons James ‘Jazza’ Dickens and Gavin McDonnell, Wood’s world title aspirations had been written off by many, but his own self-belief never dwindled.
“It’s been a long journey to get here,” a relaxed-looking Wood said. “I’ve come a long way.”
A link-up with trainer Ben Davison reignited his career and paid dividends when Wood won the WBA ‘Regular’ title against China’s Xu Can in 2021.
He then defended his title in a modern-day classic last March when – once again deemed an underdog by the bookmakers – he beat Irishman Michael Conlan in a dramatic 12th-round knockout, having been behind on all three judges’ scorecards.
Trainer Davison echoed his fighter’s comments that he performs better when there is less expectation.
“He has been written off numerous times in the year. Every time he has come back better and stronger and [risen] to the challenge,” Davison said.
“That’s when you see the best of Leigh Wood. A fight when Leigh Wood is heavy favourite, you won’t see the best of Leigh Wood.”
Lara vows to KO champion
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn applauded Wood and Davison for personally requesting Lara – considered one of the most dangerous punchers of the division – as a voluntary defence.
Wood was upgraded to full WBA champion in December after Leo Santa Cruz vacated the title.
There were other – potentially easier – opponents, with Hearn saying he suggested former world champion Kiko Martinez.
“I said ‘let’s have an easy one. You just had fight of the year, you’ve got the whole city behind you’,” Hearn added.“Leigh Wood said ‘I don’t want an easy one. I don’t think I’ll box well’.”
While he can look menacing in the ring, Lara also cut a relaxed figure before his first world-title challenge.
In February last year the then-unknown featherweight inflicted a first career defeat for former world champion Josh Warrington with a ninth-round stoppage, catapulting his name into world-level boxing.
Lara has also vowed to win by stoppage this weekend, saying: “When opportunities come round I take them with both hands. I feel convinced I will win.
“I’ve prepared as well as I possibly could. I feel like this is almost my second home. This will not go the 12 rounds.”
Both Wood and Lara possess knockout power, but they also have vulnerabilities. Wood was knocked down by Conlan – not considered a heavy hitter – in the first round of their bout, while Lara’s eagerness to attack often leaves him open to a counter.
Saturday’s card is Matchroom Boxing’s first in the United Kingdom this year, and the main event is full of intrigue. Both men are confident and both will come to fight.
On paper, it has all the ingredients to be a memorable world-title showdown.
