Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara LIVE: Result as Briton regains title with points win
Re-live updates as Wood fought to regain the WBA featherweight title, which Lara won from him in February but lost on Friday after missing weight
Leigh Wood regained the WBA featherweight title with a decision win over Mauricio Lara on Saturday, avenging a knockout loss to the Mexican in the process.
Wood was fighting in his hometown of Nottingham in February when he suffered a controversial TKO defeat by Lara, who took the WBA belt from the 34-year-old in Round 7.
However, Lara, 25, was stripped of the title on Friday (26 May), after failing to make weight for his Manchester rematch with Wood. Furthermore, only Wood was eligible to win the vacant title in the main-event bout.
And Wood did just that, knocking down Lara in Round 2 and going on to beat the Mexican via unanimous decision. Elsewhere, Chris Billam-Smith won his first world title, and Michael Conlan suffered a brutal KO loss – more on those results below.
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Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara 2 LIVE: Danny Ball vs Jamie Robinson
Round 2
Ball curls a right hook around Robinson’s guard, then drops his opponent with a left hook!
Robinson only takes a knee, and he beats the referee’s count, but will Ball go for the finish here...?
Yes! Both men open up, landing clean shots, but it’s Ball who is rocking his opponent with heavy hooks!
Ball with an uppercut in close now, before the pair trade body shots. Great composure from Robinson given the circumstances.
The pace is starting to slow down, with both men having thrown a lot in this round.
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara 2 LIVE: Danny Ball vs Jamie Robinson
Round 1
Both men stand orthodox. Ball with a jab to the beltline; Robinson returns fire with a jab up top.
More jabs upstairs from Robinson, while Ball paws with a lead left hook. He tags Robinson with a quick one.
A couple of jabs get through for Ball now.
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara 2 LIVE
The main card begins with a welterweight clash between Danny Ball and Jamie Robinson, with the vacant English title on the line!
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara 2 LIVE
The Wood vs Lara main card is about to get under way! Here’s a recap of the preliminary results:
William Crolla def. Joe Hardy via decision
Aaron Bowen def. Aljaz Venko via decision
Campbell Hatton def. Michal Bulak via TKO
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara 2 LIVE
Wood vs Lara isn’t the only world-title fight in the UK tonight!
At Vitality Stadium, home to Premier League club AFC Bournemouth, Chris Billam-Smith challenges Lawrence Okolie for the WBO cruiserweight title.
Billam-Smith, a Bournemouth fan, has long dreamt of fighting at his team’s ground, and he finally gets his chance tonight. His bout with Okolie should be intriguing, given the Britons are former training partners.
Meanwhile, in Belfast, hometown fighter Michael Conlan challenges Luis Alberto Lopez for the IBF flyweight title.
How to watch Okolie vs Billam-Smith online and on TV tonight
All you need to know as the former sparring partners clash at AFC Bournemouth’s ground
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara 2 LIVE
Revisiting Wood vs Lara 1...
Here is what Wood’s coach, Ben Davison, had to say to his fighter in the moments after throwing in the towel:
Davison: “You will get a rematch. Listen, you’ve got a rematch. You were a bit too hurt.”
Wood: “I was alright”.
Davison: “Trust me. You were too hurt.”
More here:
Leigh Wood given message by trainer Ben Davison after controversial stoppage
Davison has been criticised for throwing in the towel to end Wood’s fight against Mauricio Lara
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara 2 LIVE
Revisiting Wood vs Lara 1...
Here are Steve Bunce’s thoughts on the stoppage in the first fight:
“Wood insisted he could continue and with just six seconds left before the bell to end the seventh round, that is an understandable boxer’s complaint. However, at the moment the referee told the pair to continue, Wood looked both vulnerable and static; Lara was poised, knowing one more punch would end the fight.
“Wood did not show the awareness of a man with a grasp of his awful situation. There was no attempt to buy a few priceless seconds by moving backwards and trying to get his legs working again – he just looked trapped and hurt at the moment Davison threw the towel in.
“A decision in boxing can be both heartbreaking and correct. Sure, the official time of the stoppage was 2:54, but damage in the boxing ring can be measured in the tiniest fragments of a single second and at the point the fight was stopped, six seconds was an eternity.”
More here:
Controversial Leigh Wood stoppage was the right call
Home favourite Wood was caught flush with a Mauricio Lara left hook in Nottingham and relinquished his featherweight world title when the towel was thrown in
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara 2 LIVE
Revisiting Wood vs Lara 1...
Here is our on-the-bell report from Wood and Lara’s first clash, in February:
Leigh Wood suffers TKO loss to Mauricio Lara amid controversial finish in Nottingham
Wood, leading on the scorecards, beat the referee’s count after a knockdown late in Round 7 – but the towel came in anyway
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara 2 LIVE
Tonight’s event will be streamed live on Dazn, a subscription to which is available at three different price points: Monthly Saver (£9.99 per month, with a 12-month commitment), Flexible (£19.99 per month, and can be cancelled at any time), and Annual Super Saver (£99.99 as a one-off payment).
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How to watch Wood vs Lara online and on TV tonight
All you need to know after the fight underwent a major change at the 11th hour
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