Former champions meet again with ranking ground and pride on the line at featherweight
Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington stood nose-to-nose in Nottingham ahead of Saturday’s rematch at a sold-out Motorpoint Arena.
Wood spoke with control.
“I am confident. And that’s not me thinking it’s going to be easy because I don’t think it’s going to be easy,” Wood said. “I know what I need to do, it’s a lot clearer.”
He admitted past camps were not always smooth. Before the Mick Conlan fight, he had a spar that rattled him.
“For the Mick Conlon fight, I had one spar so bad and went and hid in the weights room at the gym to have a cry before Ben came and found me,” Wood said. “In this camp, the penny has dropped with what I need to do and in my approach to it, so I have been on fire.”
Wood does his best work when he sets his feet and punches through the guard. He starts with the jab, edges to his right, and looks to turn the hook over the top once he has you reacting. When he commits, the right hand travels straight and heavy. He is willing to stand his ground if he feels the timing.
Warrington has rebuilt his approach. He stepped away briefly in 2024, then came back to the gym with purpose.
“Back in 2024, I retired for a few weeks,” Warrington said. “I felt like I still had more than enough to do some more things in this sport… Physically, my numbers keep on getting better and stronger so I’ve trained hard.”
Warrington fights at his best when he closes distance behind a high guard and forces a high workrate. He digs to the ribs, bumps with the shoulder, and keeps punches flying once he has you near the ropes. In their first meeting, he got lazy and paid for it.
“I’ve boxed him, I’ve fought him, boxed him on the ropes, and did everything I needed to do until I, obviously, left myself very open,” Warrington said. “He did catch me with a fantastic shot and then the fight was over.”
He expects a finish.
“The only way I see it going is by stoppage… I am very, very confident that the fight will go early.”
No belt on the line. Just hard rounds, pressure, and adjustments.
Nottingham decides it.
Date: Saturday
Start time: 7:00 pm UK / 2:00 pm ET
Streaming platform: DAZN
Venue: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Fight card: Leigh Wood vs. Josh Warrington; Ishmael Davis vs. Bilal Fawaz, British & Commonwealth super welterweight titles; Sandy Ryan vs. Karla Ramos Zamora, WBC super lightweight title; Dave Allen; Leo Atang; Tiah-Mai Ayton; Molly McCann