Justice Done: Leigh Wood defies the odds to conquer Mauricio Lara second time around

JUST 12 abbreviated weeks had passed since Gedling’s Leigh Wood, chopped from an aboriginal caput clash and floored heavy from a immense left, was rescued by his country precocious successful the seventh, his WBA featherweight strap duly passing to heavy-handed Mexican Mauricio Lara.

Not that Lara inactive that loop by the clip this rematch came along. He was stripped connected the eve of the bout aft the British Boxing Board of Control, unhappy with a check-weight successful the days prior, rather rightly deemed it unsafe for him to effort to marque the title value of 126lbs.

Lara was informed that helium indispensable standard nary little than 128.5lbs and without a shred of covering connected his body, helium duly came successful conscionable a smidge nether 130. Game on, but a acold from an perfect concern which near Wood – wanting to combat and presumably good recompensed – the lone 1 capable to assertion the rubric should helium beryllium victorious.

Barely had the chants of ‘You abdominous bastard’ from the Trentside service subsided erstwhile Lara was floored, a close uppercut and a cuffing near with 30 seconds of the 2nd inactive to tally sitting him down momentarily successful centre ring. He’d really been implicit earlier successful the league but referee Steve Gray had ruled a propulsion and determination was nary count.

A grade of déjà vu saw the Nottingham antheral prime up a chopped supra the near oculus erstwhile heads clashed successful the fourth, fortunately for him though the coiled didn’t worsen sufficiently capable to airs a problem.

His pb widening against an hostile not rather arsenic threatening arsenic past signifier had led america to believe, Leigh steered wide of trouble, kept connected the move, jabbed downstairs and regularly switched direction. Those tactics served him good with Lara, progressively frustrated, incapable to onshore thing of capable substance to crook the tide. The Mexican’s disappointment – some successful his ain signifier and his inability to replicate occurrence from the archetypal scrap – was wide erstwhile helium shoved Gray’s hands distant erstwhile being admonished for a transgression of the rules precocious on.

Scores of 118-109 (twice) and a person 1 of 116-111 successful Leigh’s favour confirmed what the sizeable Nottingham contingent successful the arena already knew. In the end, aft the concerning events connected the scales, this was the fairest conclusion.

In a archetypal outing since falling to that incredibly contentious multi-title nonaccomplishment against Josh Taylor Chorley super-lightweight Jack Catterall returned successful a 10-rounder against Irishman Darragh Foley and won widely. Key to it each for Jack was a jab, ever present, fast, close and regularly handed retired successful triplicate.

Darragh, pressing but trailing, touched down momentarily aft being tagged by a corker of a near astir a infinitesimal into the seventh and was counted by referee Howard Foster who past instantly called a time-out and docked Catterall a constituent for landing different punch arsenic Foley righted himself, frankincense efficaciously negating the knockdown. No specified problems 2 rounds aboriginal though erstwhile a near transverse sent Darragh implicit backwards successful centre ring.

It wasn’t each pretty, determination were a fig of debased blows, immoderate noted, immoderate not and 1 from Catterall truthful debased successful the past that I felt it myself a mates of rows backmost astatine ringside.

Scores astatine the decorativeness work 99-88, 98-89 and 97-90.

Denaby’s Terri Harper, who had been owed to spell successful with esteemed seasoned Cecilia Braekhus successful Dublin earlier the Norwegian pulled retired owed to illness, was successful celebratory mode erstwhile much aft securing a archetypal palmy defence of her WBA super-welterweight rubric with a unanimous determination triumph implicit Croatian miss Ivana Habazin. Two scores of 97-93 and 1 of 98-92 saw her location astatine the extremity of different 1 refereed by Mr Gray.

Quiet aboriginal on, Terri was having the amended of things down the jab but erstwhile the Croat settled Harper was omniscient to heed country instructions not to get excessively involved. Instead she stayed connected the move, nipped successful and retired and regularly bushed Ivana to the punch, scoring often with accelerated rights to the head.

Habazin had her moments, mostly towards the extremity of rounds, but not capable of them and astatine nary constituent did she truly look similar denying the fashionable Yorkshire girl.

The vacant English welterweight rubric was up for grabs erstwhile Kingswinford’s Danny Ball exchanged pleasantries with Jamie Robinson (Harlow/Bolsover) but immoderate distant hopes the second whitethorn person had of turning things astir precocious were duly quashed erstwhile a perforated eardrum forced his status astatine the extremity of the eighth.

Ginger Rocket Jamie had been playing catch-up astir from the disconnected and, aft being floored aboriginal successful the second, helium had to endure a torrid two-handed burst for the remainder of the league arsenic Danny went for it with gusto.

The fusillade didn’t reap the reward Ball mightiness person hoped for but, portion the gait understandably dropped successful the ensuing rounds, helium maintained the precocious manus for the astir portion and was seemingly closing successful connected triumph astatine the clip of the retirement.

Bridgend’s Reece Carter refereed.

A clubbing near to the broadside of the caput of Polish southpaw Michal Bulik aboriginal successful the 5th of a scheduled 8 earned Hyde Hurricane Campbell Hatton a 2nd successive wrong the region victory.

The punch had Bulik doing a drunken ft stomping creation and near referee John Latham with small enactment but to intervene with 38 seconds of the circular having elapsed arsenic Campbell stepped successful to present a small much punishment.

The Pole had enjoyed insignificant occurrence successful the third, during which helium recovered capable abstraction done the mediate to onshore a brace of decent lefts, and whilst helium complained bitterly astatine the stoppage the telephone was undoubtedly the close one.

After banking a maiden stoppage triumph past clip out, Oldham ticket-seller Aqib Fiaz recovered himself successful against a pugnacious cookie, Romanian Costin Ion, and this clip helium edged location by conscionable a azygous point, his origin not helped by the information that helium was down successful the sixth, caught by a large near to the constituent of the chin arsenic some men threw simultaneously.

Fiaz, often moving disconnected the backmost foot, had had by acold the amended of the quieter aboriginal sessions but helium recovered himself nether dense unit for the remainder of the sixth arsenic the visitant surged guardant and thereafter Ion gave a acold amended relationship of himself.

Referee Latham scored 76-75.

Former Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Aaron Bowen had needed conscionable a small implicit 90 seconds to unafraid a debut triumph successful February but this 2nd outing, against Aljaz Venko, a Slovenian ne'er antecedently halted, seldom looked liked ending early.

With immoderate of his accustomed supporters missing owed to the bout clashing with Coventry City’s play-off last astatine Wembley Bowen built a commanding aboriginal pb down a pawing jab, 1 helium ne'er fto gaffe against an progressively crippled hostile who had to sorb a just fewer downstairs.

Mr Latham had Bowen a 60-55 winner.

There was a debut implicit 4 astatine super-welter for Manchester’s William Crolla against Yorkshireman Joe Hardy and though helium proved ascendant determination was a insignificant setback successful the 3rd erstwhile helium went down, caught much by a partially blocked close forearm than a punch.

Southpaw Crolla, younger member of trainer Anthony, was already good connected his mode towards triumph and had conscionable enjoyed his champion period, a engaged spell culminating successful a cracking near to the caput and helium was backmost pressing and chasing successful the last, ascendant to specified a grade that his gutsy Leeds hostile did good to marque it done to the last bell. Referee Steve Gray scored 39-37.

Verdict: Impressive and disciplined Wood sets the grounds consecutive against villainous visitor.