Leigh Wood has vowed to make his “dream” fight at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground a reality after becoming a two-time featherweight world champion.

Lifelong Forest fan Wood now wants his title defence to be at the Premier League club’s 30,000-seat home ground.

“I’ll dig my heels in to get it,” Wood told BBC Radio Nottingham.

“I’ll be 35 by the next time I box and I want that City Ground fight – it’s my dream.”

Wood was still in the ring at Manchester’s AO Arena when he made clear when he wants his next fight.

He followed it up by talking directly with promoter Eddie Hearn in the changing rooms after the bout.

“I’ve said to Eddie that I’ve had a fairy tale career and I want the City Ground,” Wood said.

“That’s all that is on my radar to be honest.”

Hearn and Wood continued their conversation in the post-fight press conference, with the promoter saying “everyone wants to do it”.

But he added that the fight would likely have to be in September and the turnaround and logistics would “be very difficult” with the 2023-24 football season to be considered.

“I want to do it, I think there is a few quid in it,” Hearn said.

“If he didn’t do it in September or October, he could do it early next summer.”

Wood also reiterated that he knows his time remaining in the sport is limited, and has previously spoken about a unification bout against Mexican Luis Alberto Lopez and a desire to face fellow Englishman Josh Warrington.

The Nottingham boxer set those fights up as a possibility after beating Lara by unanimous points decision.

Wood felt pressure of Lara rematch

Victory came just three months after the 25-year-old Mexican took the title from Wood in his home city.

After having the towel thrown in during that defeat and the controversy of Lara not making weight to defend his title – despite the fight still going ahead – Wood admitted the win came as “a relief”.

“I had a little bit of pressure going into that fight,” he said.

“If I had got beaten then that would have been it, a lot of people would have wrote me off.

“I was never going to be beaten – it was never an option, even with the weight difference and everything that went on around it.

“I was just so headstrong, so destined to win – I wouldn’t let anything change that.”

‘Bravery and brains’ – analysis

Charlie Slater, BBC East Midlands Today

Wood takes fights most boxers would run a mile from, most promoters would not touch and most trainers would advise against. But Wood has proven himself fearless.

Treading the perfect line between bravery and brains, Wood out-thought and out-boxed the notoriously powerful Lara and despite knowing first-hand how dangerous the Mexican can be, engaged him in the early stages of the fight as Wood’s power proved superior.

Immense credit must go to his training team of Ben Davison, Lee Wylie and Barry Smith who have helped mastermind his rise from forgotten man to one of British boxing’s brightest lights.