Floored: Leigh Wood
(Picture: Getty Images)Mauricio Lara beat hometown favourite Leigh Wood in Nottingham to win the WBA world featherweight title with a stunning stoppage.
Wood came into the fight not as the favourite but looked to be defying then odds with a heavy-hitting opening six rounds.
But one left hook saw Lara prove why he was so fancied, having last year beaten Josh Warrington and now has a first title to his name.
After an unsteady start, Wood won four rounds on the spin as Lara was repeatedly knocked back by strong right hooks from the champion.
In comes the towel after a big knockdown at the end of the seventh...
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) February 18, 2023
Mauricio Lara is the new WBA World Featherweight Champion #WoodLara | @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/wmDYjntXBt
Ahead of the fight, both said they wouldn’t see a seventh. They were not far off with their prediction as Wood looked to finish Lara off in the seventh until a left hook of his own was bettered by one from Lara and the Nottingham boxer hit the canvas.
Wood beat the count but, with just seconds of the round left, the towel was thrown in and Lara handed his first world title.
