On Saturday night, Leigh Wood and Mauricio Lara clash in one of the biggest fights of the year, and we’ve got all the details of how to watch this guaranteed barnburner.
When a little-known Mexican flew to the UK to fight Josh Warrington in September 2021, the fans were left furious. Many criticised ‘The Leeds Warrior’ for what seemed like an obvious duck of mandatory challenger, Kid Galahad. Thus, in a borderline protest, the bulk of hardcore fans didn’t even bother watching his scrap with Lara, as they assumed it would be nothing more than a run-of-the-mill points victory. But oh, how wrong they were.
In a monumental upset, the underdog beat the favourite to a pulp before rendering him unconscious in the ninth round. However, despite claiming an all-mighty scalp, with Warrington vacating his world title before the bout, Lara was unable to call himself a world champion. But he has an opportunity to put that right this weekend. However, the man who’ll stand opposite him is not keen to let go of his strap any time soon.
Leigh Wood expects to defend his world title against Mauricio Lara
Similiarly to his opponent, Wood wasn’t given much of a chance when he challenged Xu Can for the WBA featherweight title. But in a statement performance, he dethroned the Chinese sensation via a decision victory.
After winning the belt, the 34-year-old dived right back into shark-infested waters for a clash with Irish Olympian, Michael Conlan. And in the opening round, it looked like Wood had bitten off more than he could chew.
A thunderous left hand sent the 126-pound King tumbling towards the canvas in front of 10,000 of his own fans. At this point, he needed to capitalise on every ounce of self-belief in his being, and he did just that.
Over the course of the fight, Wood bit down his gum shield and threw the kitchen sink before knocking his rival through the ropes and out of the ring to secure one of the greatest comeback victories in boxing history.
And now, he’s put himself back in the firing line, because Lara makes for an even tougher proposition. So, with that said, here’s how you can tune in.
Read: Oktagon MMA 39: Christian Jungwirth secures big win in Munich (sporf.com)
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara: UK start time
The eagerly-anticipated card will broadcast live from the Nottingham Arena at 7PM, with the main event fighters making their ring walks at approximately 10:50 PM.
How to watch Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara
The entire bill is available via DAZN. Boxing enthusiasts can subscribe to the streaming platform for the price of £9.99 per month.
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara: Full card
While most are looking forward to the headline attraction, there are a plethora of undercard fights for fans to get their teeth sunk into. In the pick of the bunch, Dalton Smith defends his British title against Billy Allington
The full card is as follows:
- Leigh Wood vs. Mauricio Lara; For Wood’s WBA world featherweight title
- Dalton Smith vs. Billy Allington; For Smith’s British super lightweight title
- Gary Cully vs. Wilfredo Flores; Lightweight
- Cheavon Clarke vs. Israel Duffus; Cruiserweight
- Gamal Yafai vs. Diego Alberto Ruiz; Super bantamweight
- Aaron Bowen vs. Mathieu Gomes; Middleweight
- Junaid Boston vs. Peter Kramer; Light middleweight
- Kieron Conway vs. Jorge Silva; Super middleweight
- Sam Maxwell vs. Shaun Cooper; Super lightweight
Featured Image Credit: DAZN
