loading…
Mauricio Lara KOs Wood Again, Michael Conlan: Too Fast Re-Duel/Boxing Scene
Mauricio Lara will beat Leigh Wood by knockout again according to Michael Conlan because he is too quick to do a rematch. In truth, Michael Conlan wanted Leigh Wood to win his rematch against Mauricio Lara on Saturday night in Manchester, England.
If Wood is able to avenge his defeat in the seventh round via a technical-knockout over Lara and Conlan defeats Luis Alberto Lopez, then Conlan’s rematch with Wood will be a welterweight title unification battle. Conlan will challenge Lopez for the Mexico City boxer’s IBF featherweight title on Saturday night in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Conlan’s hometown.
Although Conlan hoped Wood would win, he didn’t see it happening. “I think Lara will knock him out again,” Conlan told BoxingScene.com. “I think it was too soon. I don’t know why they took the rematch so soon, maybe because there is something at stake for that belt, the Uzbek boxer (Otabek Kholmatov),” he continued.
“I don’t know when (he will get his chance), but he is a good fighter and I think he will beat Lara, with all due respect to Lara. But I think they want to keep the belt in the Matchroom bubble. I read that Lara-(Josh) Warrington could happen and there’s a mix of all three of them. But I don’t know why (Wood) is taking that fight again.”
Boxer from Mexico, Mauricio Lara (26-2-1, 19 KO), won the WBA featherweight world title from Leigh Wood in their fight on February 18 at Motorpoint Arena, Wood’s hometown, Nottingham, England. Eddie Hearn – whose company promotes Wood, Lara and Josh Warrington – proposed that Lara defend her title for the first time against Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KOs) of England and the winner would face Wood in her next fight.
Wood (26-3, 16 KOs) instead exercised his contractual right to a rematch, which will take place just three months after his trainer, Ben Davison, stopped their fight after a visibly dizzy Wood recovered from a knockdown in the seventh round. Wood won on all three cards over six rounds (59-55, 58-56, 58-56). A left hook from Lara dropped Wood on his back with 23 seconds remaining in the seventh round.
Wood recovered in time to beat referee Michael Alexander’s count, but Davison gave up. “He did well in the first fight,” Conlan said of Wood. “If he had kept his fists and wasn’t greedy he could have won. But I think it was inevitable that Lara would beat him. I’m not the biggest puncher in the world and I got Leigh Wood to his feet a few times in that fight.”
“But he had guts, he was tough and determined and just kept going. So you have to give him credit. But I think the stop was right at Ben Davison dropping, because, you know, Lara is a really strong hitter and I think if she land a few more hits, it could deal some serious damage to Leigh.”
Wood knocked out Conlan in the 12th round in a brutal fight that won multiple “Fight of the Year” awards for 2022. Conlan knocked Wood out in the first round of their bout at Motorpoint Arena in March 2022, but Wood recovered and knocked Conlan back. to the mat in the 11th round and scored a knockout.
(aww)
