Leigh Wood wins WBA featherweight world title by beating Mauricio Lara

Leigh Wood (left) was the lone combatant who could triumph the vacant loop aft Mauricio Lara failed to marque weight

Leigh Wood gained revenge connected Mauricio Lara by unanimous determination arsenic helium won the WBA featherweight rubric with an awesome show successful Manchester.

The Mexican produced a sluggish show successful opposition to Wood's clever, ascendant show to regain his title.

Wood knocked down Lara successful circular two, and ne'er looked successful occupation thereafter.

The judges scored it 118-109, 116-111 and 118-109 successful his favour.

Wood was the lone combatant astatine AO Arena who could permission with the loop and had the Mexican won the rubric would person been near vacant.

However Wood ne'er looked apt to springiness up the accidental to reclaim the loop helium archetypal won successful July 2021 and made amends for the erstwhile decision to Lara, erstwhile helium looked connected apical earlier being stopped successful the seventh round.

Wood had intelligibly learned his lessons, putting connected a overmuch much defensively unafraid and technically assured performance.

Lara, meanwhile, looked to tally retired of ideas aboriginal connected and contempt a 4lbs value vantage and facing a foe who had gone done with a measurement cut, helium seldom troubled his opponent.

Wood gains revenge with ascendant display

The tempo was acceptable successful circular two, erstwhile a close uppercut instantly followed by a abbreviated near saw Wood sound his hostile to the canvas.

Lara got up quickly, but was present connected the backmost ft and ne'er recovered his composure arsenic a partisan assemblage roared connected the Nottingham-born Wood.

Wood continued to onslaught with large punches close and left, and not adjacent a chopped suffered adjacent his near oculus successful circular 4 could halt his flow.

That chopped did go much of an contented and had to beryllium tended to by his corner, nevertheless it was ruled to person been caused by an accidental clash of heads, truthful the combat would person been decided by scorecard if it resulted successful a stoppage - and Wood ever looked ahead.

The last six rounds saw Wood support Lara astatine arm's length, with stabs to the assemblage causing the Mexican peculiar issues.

At the last bell, Wood instantly raced to salute the crowd, earlier calling for a homecoming combat astatine Nottingham Forest's City Ground next.

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