Their first fight in October 2023 swung the moment Wood found his range. Warrington set the pace early behind busy hands and pressure, then stepped on a right hand in the seventh and never recovered. Wood looked him over the top with a stiff right hand that checked him cleanly. As soon as Warrington’s legs dipped, Wood stepped over, held him in front of him and let off short, accurate shots until the referee had seen enough.
Now they’re running it back at the Motorpoint Arena, sold out and loud. Wood understands what Warrington brings. Work rate. Conditioning.
“He’s getting himself in tremendous shape,” Wood said on Matchroom Boxing’s YouTube channel. “He has a great engine and throws a lot of punches. But it gives someone like me great opportunities.”
Wood’s openings appear in the exchanges. Warrington tries to bully his way inside, but he often comes in on a straight line. When his feet become parallel and his head stays on the midline, he is there to call time. That’s when Wood sets his base, pulls the trigger on the right hand over the top and catches him before he can roll out or tie up.
“He says he won every round, but it didn’t happen,” Wood said. “He contradicts himself. Did he win every round? Did he even look back? I couldn’t believe the audacity of me when I beat him.”
Wood doesn’t have to win every minute. He needs clean counters.
“Styles make fights. Whether I lose two rounds, three rounds, it doesn’t matter because I’ve always had that big punch in my closet. I’ll struggle to do a better job this time, but I’d like it to be more convincing and I’d like to do even faster work.
“He can say what he wants, because on fight night I’m going to beat him anyway.”
Warrington knows what went wrong.
“The game plan? Don’t get caught! I like watching my fights when I’m winning, but I don’t like watching them when I get a chin. I went diving against Leigh last time and it cost me.
“I just have to concentrate on what I do well and stay tuned for every second. I feel stronger than I’ve ever been.”
If Warrington starts with the jab, keeps his head off the midline and works the body without stifling his own shots, he can drag Wood into deep water.
Start times, venue, date and live stream information
Date: 21 February
Start time: 18:00 local time / 13:00 ET / 18:00 UK
Live stream: DAZN
Venue: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Fight card:
Leigh Wood vs Josh Warrington, 12 rounds, super featherweight
Ishmael Davis vs Bilal Fawaz, 12 rounds, British Super Welterweight Title
Dave Allen vs Karim Berredjem, 6 rounds, heavyweight
Sandy Ryan vs Karla Ramos Zamora, 10 rounds, WBC super lightweight title
Leo Atang vs Dan Garber, 6 rounds, heavyweight
How to watch: Available live worldwide on DAZN.
