Tomorrow night, Leigh Wood bids for a repeat victory over domestic rival Josh Warrington that will re-announce him as a threat in the super-featherweight division. Ahead of the action, Wood has acknowledged Warrington as the best opponent of his career, but maintained his belief that he will stop ‘The Leeds Warrior’ for a second time.
Written off by the masses after losing out to Jazza Dickens, Leigh Wood became an inspiration to British fighters by overcoming Reece Mould, Can Xu and then Michael Conlan to claim the British and then WBA world featherweight titles with a phenomenal three-fight streak.
The reign of ‘The Sheriff of Nottingham’ was then brought to an end by Mexican knockout artist and Warrington foe, Mauricio Lara, before Wood upset the odds again to become a two-time champion by avenging his loss to ‘El Bronco’ just three months later.
A grudge match with Warrington would follow for Wood, where another remarkable in-fight comeback was complete, turning the tide in round seven with a show-stopping combination whilst behind on the cards, before Michael Alexander waved the contest off, much to the disappointment of the challenger.
Wood then vacated the WBA crown in order to move up to super-featherweight, where he was defeated upon his 130lb debut by Belfast’s Anthony Cacace, who had trumped Warrington himself in his fight prior.
Now, Wood and Warrington revisit their rivalry as super-featherweights. Speaking to Boxing News, the Gedling-born 37-year-old admitted that he does not know whether the move up in weight will prove to be an advantage to him, despite his superior size and power.
“Camp has been smooth, everything has been done that needs to be done. I’m a lot more confident in my approach this time than I was for my last fight.
“The styles [of Cacace and Warrington] are completely different, which favours me.
“Also, having the needle between us is something that brings the best out of me, which I never realised before.
“I am not sure if I’ll have an advantage with the weight or not, as I don’t know how hard it was for him to make featherweight.
“But, I know how hard it was for me, so I’ll definitely be feeling and performing better on fight night.”
Regardless of the fight week tension, the respect is still there between Wood and Warrington, who each hold the status as two-time rulers in the 126lb division.
Wood went on to recognise his opponent’s quality, but remained confident ahead of the contest due to what he learned in their initial encounter, where a ropey start was made redundant by a riveting ending in front of a home crowd.
“Based on his credentials, he is probably the best fighter [that I have faced] on paper and there are some really important adjustments that I need to make, that I am not going to give away.
“I keep saying it’s so clear what I need to do now, that doesn’t mean that it is going to be easy, but I just know what I need to do and I am prepared.”
Asked whether or not his dream to fight at the City Ground, home of his beloved Nottingham Forest Football Club, was still alive, Wood was hopeful but conceded that the ship may have sailed.
“You know what, you need a lot of luck for that to happen, the right opponent and the right time of year. I don’t know if it will happen, I’ve had one but not the other so many times before.”
Whilst uncertain in his plan to fight under the floodlights of the 31,000-capacity stadia on the River Trent, his immediate goal is crystal clear, signing off with intent as he promised another knockout win.
“Thank you to everyone that turns out for me again and again, enjoy Saturday night. I win this fight inside of the distance, quicker than last time.”
Wood-Warrington II takes place at the Motorpoint Arena on Saturday, February 21, with Ishmael Davis and Bilal Fawaz colliding in a scrap for the British super-welterweight title in the highlight of the undercard.
