Update: Mauricio Lara came in overweight and was stripped of the IBF World Featherweight title. The bout is still on, as of now, and if Wood wins, he’ll be awarded the belt.
Mauricio Lara and Leigh Wood will meet on Saturday, May 27 for the IBF World Featherweight title. This will be the second time that the two fighters have met in the last three months. The event will take place across the pond at the AO Arena in Manchester, England. Lara will be defending the title, while Wood the former champion is looking to win it back.
How to watch Lara vs. Wood
The six-fight card will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET, with the ring walk for the main event slated for approximately 10:00 p.m. ET.
The fight will be available for streaming on DAZN with a subscription.
Fighter history
Lara (26-2-1) is looking to get a win in his first title defense of the IBF World Featherweight title. He defeated Wood in the seventh round this time, but this time many expect it to go a bit longer. Lara went into enemy territory last time and got the win, and will have another tough task as the fight will be across the pond again. He has won 15 of his last 16 fights and is a heavy favorite to win another one. He has 15 career victories via KO, and adding one more this weekend would be good for his resume. Lara hasn’t lost a fight since 2018.
Wood (26-3) is looking to win his IBF World Featherweight title back after losing it to Lara just a few months back. He won the title in 2021 when he defeated Can Xu. Wood has never lost twice in his career and has had plenty of times when he had fights only a few months apart. He has 16 wins via KO but has also suffered two losses via KO, one including his most recent against Lara. Both fighters stand at 5’7 and have a 67-inch reach, so there is no real physical advantage for either. Wood is a bit older at 34 years old, but he did fight well in the last bout before being caught in the seventh round, and his team decided to throw in the towel. Wood has been preparing hard for his rematch, but will it be enough against a much younger and upstart opponent in Lara?
Fight odds
Lara is the betting favorite at -315 according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Wood is the underdog at +230.
Full card for Lara vs. Wood
- Main event: Mauricio Lara vs. Leigh Wood, IBF Featherweight title
- Jack Catterall vs. Darragh Foley
- Terri Harper vs. Ivana Habazin, WBA women’s super-welterweight title
- Danny Ball vs. Jaime Robinson, English Welterweight title
- Aqib Fiaz vs. Costin Ion
- Campbell Hatton vs. Michal Bulak