It was not the match that viewers expected to see. Leigh Wood (27-3-0, 16 KO) defeated Mauritius by unanimous decision Rough Lara (26-2-1, 19 KO) tonight at the Manchester Arena, in the United Kingdom. The Briton knew how to fight, keeping his distance, without getting into unnecessary exchanges of blows and effectively reaching out with his hands. The Mexican, who did not have his night, had already lost his belt on the scale for not giving the weight. With this win, Wood gets his revenge and regains his WBA featherweight title he lost in February.
The WBA featherweight belt was on the line, but not for both fighters. Lara wrested the title from Wood in February by a brutal seventh-round TKO, and a rematch was quickly announced. But the Mexican lost the crown at the weigh-in prior to this second confrontation, so only the British could be proclaimed champion tonight. And so it has been.
Lara started strong in the first round landing a hard right on Wood’s face and a combination to the body. The Brit responded with a right hook to the Mexican’s face, which sent him to the canvas in the second round. This blow surprised Lara, who began to attack messier. Wood, on the other hand, took care of his defense, boxing back when necessary and reaching for his hands. He was cautious so that no blow caught him by surprise as in the first fight.
Both fighters presented a different type of combat. Wood was focused on hitting and scoring, moving carefully around the ring, while Lara went for the KO. “I don’t want cards,” the corner told the Mexican at the end of the seventh round. But he wasn’t attacking or pressing enough to look to end the fight before the bell, and they ended up on points.
Lara did not come close when Leigh Wood was proclaimed champion, who did it with the red Mexican hat that he gave her when he snatched the belt from her in the first meeting. The Briton prevailed by unanimous decision (118-109, 118-109, 116-111) in the highly anticipated rematch between the two. Lara didn’t have her night, and Wood knew exactly what to do to get her crown back. It could be that the Mexican was already demoralized for not being able to qualify for the belt, but his performance has been far from the image he offered in February.
