WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood was set for one more extraordinary old neighborhood night after his hair-raising battle of the year competitor against Michael Conlan in Spring.
The 34-year-old Brit endorsed to battle blundering Mexican Mauricio Lara at Nottingham Field on September 24.
Wood charted an unlikely route to become a world champion, while Lara also sprung an unforgettable shock win on U.K. soil to put himself in the title picture.
It made for a tantalizing clash, only for an injury bombshell to bring everything crashing down less than two weeks from the first bell. The Agbanche News explains it all.
Why is Leigh Wood vs. Mauricio Lara off?
On Tuesday, September 13, Wood’s promoter Matchroom Boxing confirmed the fighter had suffered a torn bicep in sparring.
In a later interview, Eddie Hearn said the prognosis for Wood’s injury was a six-week lay-off, although he would not require surgery.
This means a rescheduled date with Lara would likely be in late 2022 or early 2023, with Hearn stating that the intention remains to remake the fight with Josh Warrington’s one-time conqueror.
Leeds’ IBF champion Warrington was mentioned as a dance partner for Wood in a potential all-British blockbuster, although he suffered a broken jaw in his brutal seventh-round stoppage of veteran warrior Kiko Martinez two weeks after Wood beat Conlan.
Warrington’s next assignment looks likely to be a clash with his mandatory challenger, Lara’s compatriot Luis Alberto Lopez.
Is the Leigh Wood vs. Mauricio Lara fight card cancelled?
No. The card will still go ahead, with the featherweight bout between Maxi Hughes and Kid Galahad now topping the bill.
IBO lightweight champion Hughes takes on fellow Yorkshireman Galahad, who was last seen losing his IBF featherweight strap to Kiko Martinez.
A further title showdown comes in the form of Terri Harper leaping up two weights to take on Hannah Rankin, defending her unified super-welterweight championship.
Can I get a refund for my Leigh Wood vs. Mauricio Lara ticket?
Even though the fight night will proceed without the main event, fans can claim a refund from the point of purchase until September 20.
Tickets were priced between £40 and £150, with VIP packages available for £250. These remain valid for Hughes vs. Galahad.
General sale tickets are available via Stage Front and Motorpoint Arena.
Leigh Wood career record, titles won
Wood won the initial 11 battles of his expert profession prior to confronting Gavin McDonnell for the empty English super-bantamweight title at Frame Ice Field in February 2014.
In an upside down experience, Wood was dropped in cycle one yet cut McDonnell in the following meeting. He was ahead in the battle prior to shrinking under a supported attack from McDonnell, the twin sibling of previous double cross bantamweight title holder Jamie. He was halted in the last seconds of cycle six.
After that difficulty, he moved forward to featherweight and dazzled on a couple of prominent undercards in Sheffield, outpointing Josh Grain and taking out previous novice rival Lee Glover.
Wood dispatched Glover in the subsequent round and did similarly when he confronted Abraham Osei Bonsu for the empty Region featherweight title in Walk 2019. He guarded the belt once against Ryan Doyle and won the WBO European featherweight lash with a 10th round stoppage of David Oliver Joyce.
In his next exposing, Wood dropped a larger part choice to previous world title challenger James ‘Jazza’ Dickens, finishing a 12-battle win streak in February 2020.
Wood bounced back amazingly with a cycle nine technical knockout of the beforehand unbeaten Reece Form at Wembley Field a year down the line, yet that did practically nothing to hint a dazzling rising to world distinctions.
Boxing at Matchroom HQ as a feature of the Battle Camp series, Wood out-hustled China’s Might Xu prior to halting the WBA at any point champion in the last round.
Strikingly, Wood rehashed the stunt in a moment exemplary against Conlan. The home most loved was down and gravely hurt in cycle one however gritted his direction back into the challenge. Conlan went down in cycle 11 and was then chillingly dispatched through the ropes as Wood grabbed triumph. It was Wood’s best second and moved him to a lifelong record of 26-2 with 16 KOs.
Mauricio Lara career record, titles won
Lara’s vocation got off to a premature move as he dropped a split choice north of four presentation rounds to the unheralded Julio Carabino.
He then, at that point, rolled out 11 successes prior to experiencing a first-round KO against Eliot Chavez, a contender most as of late seen on English shores being excluded for two times punching Harlem Eubank later “break” was called.
Lara hung together one more 11 successes against mediocre resistance and little was required from him when he was brought in as a rival for Warrington in an in secret experience during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Besting a similar card where Wood beat Form, Warrington was dropped by the guest in cycle four and battered around the ring until his wretchedness reached a conclusion after one more excursion to the material in cycle nine.
Warrington refered to an absence of environment and adrenaline in moderation for his most memorable profession rout and looked to right some unacceptable in a quick rematch.
Headingley Rugby Arena in Leeds positively created an unbelievable environment to get the blood siphoning, albeit such a depiction is maybe excessively near the bone given a head conflict in cycle two saw Lara severely harmed and the battle canceled as a specialized choice draw.
Lara additionally partook in his latest excursion in Spring this year, impacting out Emilio Sanchez inside three rounds in San Diego to leave his profession record on 24-2-1 with 17 KOs.
Warrington’s choice to empty his IBF belt preceding their most memorable session implies Lara has never battled for a significant title in his profession. In any case, he is positioned as the world’s driving featherweight by the regarded Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.