Leigh Wood lost his WBA Featherweight World Title after a destructive left hook from Mauricio Lara forced his trainer, Ben Davison, to throw in the towel.
The fight, staged in Wood’s hometown of Nottingham, delivered on the action as promised, with the two heavy hitters trading blows until one of them hit the canvas.
Unfortunately, that was the champion. Wood traded left hooks with Lara and came off much worse, dropping to the deck with a bang. Making the count through sheer bravery, the referee was ready to let the action continue before Davison threw in the towel.
Wood was up on all three score cards at the time of the stoppage.
He protested briefly whilst still on unsteady legs, and some pundits and fans felt the decision was premature given that there were only seconds left in the round.
Footage and audio from Matchroom’s behind the scenes feature now reveal what Davison said in that moment.
“Listen, you’ve got a rematch. You was a bit too hurt. You were too hurt. Trust me.”
Davison said in the aftermath that he respected both sides of the argument as to the stoppage, but Wood released a statement thanking him and saying that he had to be ‘saved from himself.’
In the end, as the trainer points out in the footage, Wood has a rematch clause that he can prepare for now after one heavy knockdown rather than a sustained beating.
Promoter Eddie Hearn believes Wood will take the second fight, however did leave the timeline open. Mauricio Lara has a score to settle with Josh Warrington, and that may just come first.
The Mexican beat Warrington in 2021 and fought to a no contest later that year after a clash of heads. It’s personal between the pair – Lara spat at Warrington after stopping Wood, something that’s also featuring in the footage above.