What’s Next for Mauricio Lara? A Rematch with Wood or Trilogy with Warrington? 

With just thirteen seconds remaining in the seventh round, Mauricio Lara (26-2-1, 19 KOs) knocked out then-champion Leigh Wood (26-3, 16 KOs) with a devastating left hook. Wood got up off the canvas wanting to continue, and although referee Michael Alexander seemed willing to allow him to continue, Wood’s corner saw that he was a bit unsteady and slow to respond and threw in the towel as a sign of surrender. At that moment, there were only six seconds left in the round. Up until the knockout, Wood was ahead on all three scorecards.

Rather than celebrating his relevant triumph that elevated him to world champion after nearly eight years as a professional fighter, Lara jumped out of the ring and headed straight for Josh Warrington and spat on him. There is no doubt that there is bad blood between these two fighters who faced each other twice in 2021.

After the situation calmed down, twenty-four-year-old Lara returned to the ring. “To become world champion is a dream I’ve had since I was eight years of age. Leigh Wood is a great champion,” Lara said. “He hits really hard, he’s an intelligent boxer, but I’m just absolutely delighted tonight.”

Asked about his desired third fight with Josh Warrington, Lara replied, “Of course, I’d like that trilogy. I want to go on and get more belts, as well. It’s really up to Eddie Hearn to make that decision.”

As far as what comes next, Lara will have to wait for Wood’s decision as there was a rematch clause in their contract. “Absolutely” Wood confirmed when asked about a rematch. “I’m a fighter, you know, I want to go until I can’t f***ing do anything anymore. Congratulations to Mauricio Lara, he’s a great fighter. I made a mistake and I paid for it,” Wood said.  Judges Howard Foster and Guillermo Pérez had scorecards showing 58-56 and judge Oliver Brien’s revealed a score of 59-55, all favorable to Wood when the actions ended.

In the event that Wood does not immediately exercise his right to face Lara, the Mexican could go for the trilogy against Warrington whom he knocked out in the ninth round in February 2021, at London’s Wembley Arena. They met again seven months later in Warrington’s hometown of Leeds, but a cut to Lara’s left eye, the result of an accidental head butt in the second round, forced referee Steve Gray to end the action before the start of the third round as instructed by the ring doctor. Lara was furious and vehemently stated that he wanted a third fight.

Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn confirmed the likely possibility of a rematch between Lara and Wood. “Leigh Wood has a rematch clause as a champion going into this fight,” stated Eddie Hearn. “I would believe he would want to exercise that rematch (clause) because it was a tremendous fight, a tremendous performance. You’ve got Josh Warrington down there. Maybe these two (Lara and Warrington) fight in the interim. Maybe Leigh Wood fights the winner, but (Wood) has the right to now, contractually. And I thought he was cruising in the fight at that stage. Rough start, but won four rounds on the spin, and Mauricio Lara just came in with a left hook from the heavens. And that’s why this sport is the most dramatic and the most exciting of them all.”

Article submitted by Jorge Juan Álvarez in Spanish

Please note any adjustments made were for clarification purposes and any errors in translation were unintentional.

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