WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood 26-2 (16) is prepared to win by any means necessary when he takes on Mauricio Lara 25-2-1 (18) at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England on Saturday night.
In one breathe the 34-year-old Brit says he will take the fight to Lara. In the next he says he will box a tactical fight. Perhaps we will see a little of both.
One thing that is certain is that Wood knows what he is up against in the hard-nosed 24-year-old Mexican.
“From the outside looking in he looks very dangerous,” admitted Wood in an interview with Matchroom Boxing.
“He got that devastating win over Josh Warrington. There’s a lot of things he does well and he is dangerous, but in the same hand there’s a lot of things that he does very poorly. You can’t get away with that at this level with the right fighter.
“He doesn’t have to come looking for me, I’m going to be right in front of him. I’ll meet him in the middle of the ring. When he walks into the ring he’s going to be met with a very hostile crowd. No one is going to walk into Nottingham and walk through me – it’s not going to happen. I can’t see it reaching the halfway point and I will win by knockout.
“There was never going to be another fight. It was always going to be Mauricio Lara next. He’s said a few things which made it quite personal. He said that I faked my injury and he said that all the English are running away scared.”
Lara scored a breakthrough win when he stopped two-time IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington in nine frames two years ago. Their rematch ended in technical draw after an accidental clash of heads brought a premature halt to the bout in the second round.
Lara has had two stay-busy fights since, but the Wood fight is his opportunity to prove once again that he belongs at the top level.
“When opportunities come around I take them with both hands and I’m convinced that I will win,” Lara said at the final press conference.
“I’m not disrespecting him in any way but I just know the capability of ‘Bronco’ Lara who will go on to win the world title. I’ve prepared better than ever and I’ve prepared not for a fight, but for a war and I’m prepared to leave absolutely everything in there… this will definitely not go to the scorecards I can tell you that.”
Wood will be having his first fight since his stunning come-from-behind 12th round KO of Michael Conlan last March in The Ring magazine’s Knockout of the Year.
“There’s nothing that’s going to beat me on Saturday night, nothing at all,” he said. “There’s nothing that he can bring that I’m not prepared for. He’s ready for war but I’m ready for a smart tactical knockout… it’s going to be special. It’s going to be a wolf pit. It’s going to be a cauldron, very hostile.”
