On Saturday Night Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara will face each other. After a potentially unforgettable homecoming night in March of 2022 against Michael Conlan, WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood is ready for another on February 18, 2023, when he defends his title against Mauricio Lara at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham.
On Saturday, February 18, at Nottingham Arena, the 34-year-old Englishman will fight the powerful Mexican Mauricio Lara.
Both Wood and Lara took unorthodox paths to the top of their respective sports, with Wood taking the United States by storm and Lara pulling off an unforgettable upset in the United Kingdom.
After some delays (the fight between Wood and Lara was originally scheduled for last September), boxing fans once again have a tantalizing bout in store.
Date and Time of the Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara Fight
- Day of the week: Saturday, 18 February.
- Time of the main event: 2 PM EST / 7 PM GMT
- Time (approximate) of the main event ring walks: 5:49 PM EST / 10:49 PM GMT
Ringwalks for the main event is scheduled for 5:49 p.m. ET / 10:49 p.m. GMT, meaning Wood vs Lara will take place around an hour before the start of the main card at 2 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. GMT. Undercard bouts’ lengths may force adjustments to these schedules.
How to watch Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara Live
Live Broadcast: Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara Live
Where is the Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara fight to take place?
The bout will go down in Motorpoint Arena Nottingham.
A rematch between Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara was cancelled, but why?
Promoter Matchroom Boxing announced on September 13, 2022, that Wood had torn his bicep during sparring.
Eddie Hearn said in a follow-up interview that Wood would not need surgery but would be out of commission for six weeks due to his injury.
Thus, late 2022 or early 2023 was thrown out as a possible new date, with Hearn maintaining that he still intends to rematch Josh Warrington with his former opponent.
It was suggested that Wood fight Warrington in an all-British megafight, but Warrington broke his jaw in a brutal seventh-round stoppage of veteran warrior Kiko Martinez just two weeks after Wood knocked out Conlan.
Both Conlan and Warrington returned to action in early December, which helped push Wood vs. Lara to 2023.
Warrington, who was watched by Wood from ringside, lost a split decision and his title to the tricky Luis Alberto Lopez, while Conlan stopped former European champion Karim Guerfi in the first round.
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara Professional Career
Results and honours for Leigh Wood’s professional career
Before challenging Gavin McDonnell for the vacant British super-bantamweight title at Hull Ice Arena in February 2014, Wood won his first eleven professional bouts by knockout.
Wood was knocked out in the first round, but he came back to cut McDonnell in the second. McDonnell, the twin brother of former two-time bantamweight world champion Jamie McDonnell, attacked him relentlessly, and he eventually collapsed. He was knocked out in the sixth and final rounds.
After that defeat, he moved up to the featherweight division and performed admirably on several high-profile undercards in Sheffield, where he defeated Josh Wale and knocked out former amateur rival Lee Glover.
Both Glover and Abraham Osei Bonsu, whom Wood faced in March 2019 for the vacant Commonwealth featherweight title, were knocked out by Wood in the second round. He knocked out David Oliver Joyce in the ninth round to win the WBO European featherweight title and successfully defended it once against Ryan Doyle.
Twelve consecutive victories for Wood came to an end in February of 2020, when he was defeated by former world title challenger James “Jazza” Dickens via majority decision.
Twelve months later, Wood returned with a round-nine TKO of previously unbeaten Reece Mould at Wembley Arena, but that didn’t foreshadow his stunning rise to world prominence.
At Matchroom HQ for the Fight Camp series, Wood boxed against Can Xu of China and won via knockout in the tenth and final round to become the new WBA champion.
Wood remarkably pulled off the same stunt again, this time against Conlan, and it became an instant classic. The crowd favourite was knocked down and hurt early on, but he got up and continued fighting. Conlan was knocked out in the eleventh round and then brutally finished off by Wood through the ropes. After that win, Wood’s career record was 26-2 with 16 knockouts.
Awards and accomplishments for Mauricio Lara’s career
In his first professional fight, Lara lost a close decision to the relatively unknown Julio Carabino after four rounds.
He won 11 consecutive fights before being knocked out in the first round by Eliot Chavez, who was most recently seen on British soil when he was disqualified for punching Harlem Eubank twice after “break” was called.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lara was called in as an opponent for Warrington in a behind-closed-doors encounter, despite the fact that he had already amassed an impressive 11 straight victories against mediocre foes.
On the same card as Wood’s victory over Mould, Warrington was knocked down by the visitor in the fourth round and subsequently battered until he finally succumbed to his injuries in the ninth.
Warrington blamed a lack of excitement and energy for his first professional loss, and he immediately demanded a rematch.
Despite the incredible atmosphere that Headingley Rugby Stadium in Leeds created, a head clash in round two left Lara badly injured, and the fight was called off as a technical draw.
Lara had a successful 2022, going 2-0-1 with 18 knockouts after defeating Emilio Sanchez and Jose Sanmartin inside of three rounds each.
In light of Warrington’s decision to relinquish his IBF belt prior to their first fight, Lara will be competing for a major title for the first time in her career. He is, however, ranked as the best featherweight in the world by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara Fight card
- World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight championship: Leigh Wood (c) vs. Mauricio Lara
- It’s for the British super lightweight title, and it’s Dalton Smith (c) versus Billy Allington.
- Super bantamweights Gamal Yafai and Diego Alberto Ruiz
- Gary Cully and Wilfredo Flores are both featherweights.
