Mauricio Lara has failed to make weight for his WBA Featherweight title defence against Leigh Wood, plunging the contest into jeopardy just one day out.
It was revealed pre-weigh-in that the Mexican didn’t satisfy the British Boxing Board of Control mid-week that he could make the 126lb limit safely, and the organisation ruled he wouldn’t be fighting if he cut to under 128.5lbs.
Lara ultimately weighed in at 129.8lbs – almost four pounds more than Wood at 125.9lbs. Wood’s trainer, Ben Davison, told the DAZN broadcast that it was a shambles.
“Realistically, is shouldn’t be happening, should it? It’s a disgrace to be honest. I’ve got nothing against Mauricio Lara and the whole team – they’ve been respectful all the way throughout – but it’s an absolute shambles.”
Davison said that his man was already on track for championship weight by the time they had heard Lara’s situation, and he made the limit to ensure that, if the fight goes ahead, he is eligible to win back the title.
“We heard about his weight while Leigh’s on weight. There’s no point in us saying ‘oh let’s just bring you up.’ … What’s the point in then Leigh not being able to win the title tomorrow?”
Finally, the trainer discussed putting his man into a fight that was already dangerous to begin with.
“We’ll have to go away and talk amongst ourselves and have a look at the situation. He’s a dangerous fighter anyway. I know he has really struggled to just get to [the weight] that he’s got to, so it’s something else we have to take into consideration.
Leigh’s whole motivation behind this is to become a two-time world champion.”
He couldn’t confirm whether or not the fight would go ahead, but is refusing to rule anything out.
Davison is the man who protected Wood by throwing in the towel when he was seriously hurt by Lara in their first fight, so fans should not underestimate his decision here – regardless of the championship pressure.