Mauricio Lara vs. Leigh Wood 2 full card results as Wood becomes two-time champ with revenge masterclass

AO ARENA, MANCHESTER — Leigh Wood became a two-time WBA featherweight champion as he battled to a revenge points win over Mauricio Lara.

Wood stepped back in with Lara just 98 days after being stopped by a shuddering left hook in his native Nottingham.

Any potential psychological demons from a punishing defeat still fresh in the memory were handed further baggage at Friday’s weigh-in, where the British Boxing Board of Control ruled it was unsafe for Lara to make the championship weight of 126lbs after the champion missed his midweek check-weight.

Lara eventually tipped the scales at 129.8lbs and was stripped of his title but the fight went ahead after the Mexican met a Saturday morning rehydration limit agreed between the two camps. 

The pre-fight ordeal looked to have taken something from Lara as he began ponderously and was on the floor in round two. Wood was cut before halfway but boxed with supreme courage and discipline to close out a unanimous decision by margins of 118-109 twice and 116-111.

WATCH: Lara vs. Wood 2, exclusively live on DAZN

Both men exuded confidence during the ringwalks, with Wood wearing the red sombrero Lara gifted him after their initial encounter. There were other familiar sights as the action got underway, with the Englishman landing long shots to take the opener, even if one short right from Lara gave the home fighter a reminder for maximum alertness that he hardly needed.

The big question heading into the bout was whether Lara’s trials on the scales would leave Wood outgunned against a heavier man or lay the former champion’s shoddy preparations bare. In round two it looked to be the latter as Wood dropped his man with a peach of a right uppercut. 

Lara goes down! 💥#LaraWood2 is LIVE on https://t.co/FoiaUucI53 pic.twitter.com/mqyOq7AKvM

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 27, 2023

Lara resumed in round three with a headbutt to earn a talking-to from referee Steve Gray. Wood then steadied his man with a couple of big right hands and faced a dilemma over whether to lay the pressure on thick against a wobbling but dangerous opponent. Lara missed with a swinging right of his own but chopping left on the inside drew gasps from the crowd.

Wood’s dominance was checked in round five as a cut opened above his left eye and Lara tried to take advantage with overhand rights. He boxed well enough on the back foot in the sixth, evading a menacing and marauding Lara.

It didn’t feel like that tactic alone would be enough to see out the second half of the contest and a chopping right off the jab as Lara loitered on the ropes marked Wood's most assertive work of the next session.

A pensive eighth was punctuated at the end as Lara drove Wood’s head back with a sledgehammer left and palpable tension remained into the championship rounds. An uppercut on the inside in 10 turned Wood’s face towards the ceiling before Lara tumbled but it was ruled a slip.

Wood’s jab bagged him round 11 and, after withstanding a heavy early assault in the final stanza, he drilled his man into the ropes with a meaty left before boxing to victory in front of a standing ovation, his trusty right hand never straying from a chin Lara could not crack this time. A dream outing at the City Ground, possibly in an all-British blockbuster against Josh Warrington, awaits a redoubtable champion.

WATCH: Lara vs. Wood 2, exclusively live on DAZN

On the undercard, Terri Harper (14-1-1, 6 KOs) retained her WBA super welterweight title with a unanimous decision win over Croatia’s Ivana Habazin (21-5, 7 KOs). Harper had been due to box on last week’s blockbuster card in Dublin, topped by Chantelle Cameron’s thrilling win over Katie Taylor, before her opponent and former pound-for-pound ruler Cecilia Braekhus was laid low by illness.

Jack Catterall (27-1, 13 KOs) returned to the ring for the first time since his controversial world title loss to Josh Taylor last February. The 29-year-old dominated Darragh Foley over 10 rounds and will have designs on another tilt at global honours at 140lbs, with recent Matchroom signing and WBC champion Regis Prograis mentioned by both Catterall and promoter Eddie Hearn afterwards.

Mauricio Lara vs. Leigh Wood 2 full card results

• Mauricio Lara vs. Leigh Wood 2; only Wood can win vacant WBA featherweight after BBBofC deemed it unsafe for Lara to make championship weight after he missed his midweek check-weight target.
• Jack Catterall bt. Darragh Foley (UD 10) for the vacant WBA inter-continental super lightweight title
• Terri Harper (c) bt. Ivana Habazin (10 UD) to retain WBA super welterweight title
• Danny Ball bt. Jamie Robinson (8/10 RTD) to win the vacant English welterweight title
• Aqib Fiaz bt. Costin Ion (PTS 8); super featherweights
• William Crolla bt. Joe Hardy (PTS 4); super welterweights
• Campbell Hatton bt. Michal Bulik (TKO 5/8); super lightweights
• Aaron Bowen bt. Aljaz Venko (PTS 6); middleweights

How to watch Mauricio Lara vs. Leigh Wood 2

The Mauricio Lara vs. Leigh Wood 2 fight card will be available via live streaming service DAZN, except in Australia and New Zealand. Now available as a Sky channel, DAZN 1 HD can be watched via TV in the UK. 

Wood vs. Lara 2 takes place on May 27. The main card starts at 2 p.m. ET | 11 a.m. PT |  7 p.m. BST | 4 a.m. AEDT.

Both main event fighters should make their way to the ring around 5:30 p.m. ET | 2:30 p.m. PT | 10:30 p.m. BST | 7:30 a.m. AEDT, depending on how long the undercard fights last.