Leigh Wood loses WBA featherweight title in KO defeat to Mauricio Lara in Nottingham
Leigh Wood lost his WBA featherweight world title after being knocked out in the seventh round by Mexico’s Mauricio Lara in Nottingham.
Wood, 31, was ahead on all three judges scorecards in a thrilling contest at the Motorpoint Arena, but was dumped by a brilliant left hook and his trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel.
Wood sustained a nasty cut near his left eye after an accidental clash of heads at the end of the first round and was boxing superbly before the big-hitting Lara, 24, delivered his knockout blow.
- Josh Taylor says against Teofimo Lopez ‘one of us will get knocked out’
- Claressa Shields next? ‘Whoever, whenever! Natasha Jonas is ready’
- The reality TV star fighting Floyd Mayweather – ‘It’s like a movie!’
Image: Lara sends Wood to the canvas (Photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Lara landed a booming right hook in the second round, which buckled Woods’ legs, but the champion responded with some big shots of his own in the third.
Wood was hurt again by a right-left combination from the Mexican early in the fourth, but again the Englishman dug deep to finish the round strongly.
Trending
- Potter: I’m not the problem at Chelsea | Merson: I don’t see it changing
- ‘Dinosaur’ Weghorst emerges as Ten Hag’s unlikely man at No 10
- Transfer Centre LIVE! Ten Hag: Rashford contract a priority
- Papers: Qataris could still bid for Spurs despite potential Man Utd takeover
- Hits and misses: Will Man City’s missed chances cost them the title?
- Anderson polishes off NZ as England win first Test by 267 runs
- Karius or Gillespie to start Carabao Cup final | Howe: They’re match ready
- Woods rolls back the years with impressive 67 on day three at Genesis
- Stellini: Spurs players taking more responsibility in Conte’s absence
- Wood loses featherweight title in KO defeat to Lara
- Video
- Latest News
Lara was visibly hurt by a body shot in the fifth and was caught with another heavy combination before being sent reeling on the ropes in the sixth by a huge right cross from Wood.
But just as the partisan crowd sensed Wood was getting the measure of a dangerous opponent, Lara, who inflicted a first career defeat on former IBF featherweight world champion Josh Warrington, connected with a stunning left hook.
Also See:
Wood beat the count but was clearly on wobbly legs and his corner threw in the towel.
He won the belt with a final-round stoppage of China’s Xu Can in 2021 and repeated the feat against Michael Conlan last March in one of the best fights of last year.
Wood intends to bounce back from this loss and he does the option of exercising the rematch clause in his contract.
“I just want to say thanks to everyone for supporting me and I’ll be back,” he said afterwards.
“I could have continued, I’m a fighter, but I just want to say congratulations to Mauricio Lara.”
Sourse: skysports.com
The post Leigh Wood loses WBA featherweight title in KO defeat to Mauricio Lara in Nottingham first appeared on 1 News Day, breaking news, sport, business, politics, Science & Health.