Leigh Wood collides with British rival Josh Warrington at the Utilita Arena, Sheffield on October 7th. He defends his WBA super featherweight crown having reclaimed that same title against Mauricio Lara in May.
The event titled Two Tribes Go to War see the cities of Nottingham and Leeds get behind their men in neutral ground in Sheffield. Both parties have seen intensely hostile fans gather to support each fighter. When Conlan came to Nottingham the noise made your hair stand up, with Warrington being know as the biggest personal ticket seller the country has seen for some time.
"In the Lara rematch I felt sharp in between my ears and physically.” Wood said in today’s press conference. “I feel those fights, with tiny little breaks while still training, has put me in a good position. I've got my girls with me and I'm taking them on training camp with me tomorrow as well. I've got my boxer and parenting head on.
“Obviously I wanted this fight to happen at the City Ground. That was my dream – and still is. That being said, we are meeting halfway in Sheffield, at the Utilita Arena, and it is going to make for an unbelievable atmosphere with a 50/50 split down the arena. I’ve done that before, of course, when I fought Michael Conlan. The walkouts then were something special and, of course, this time we’ve both got even bigger followings, in a bigger arena and we have both of our football clubs behind us too. I can’t wait to soak up the atmosphere. I know it will be quite hostile with both sets of fans battling it out vocally, but it should make for a great night. “
The super featherweight division has seen some great fights where most at the top of the division have a reference point when facing each other. The last years has seen Wood Vs Lara and Warrington Vs Lara in four separate fights.
“I don’t take confidence from knowing Lara beat Josh and that I beat Lara.” Wood added. “I take confidence in the fact that I know I’m the better fighter. It has taken me so long for me to prove this and I’ve waited a long time for this fight to happen.
"I’ve been goading Josh for years, even sending him videos on Twitter when I was in ’No Man's Land’ and not getting big fights or really getting a look in. I was in a bad place and didn’t have a promoter. Now we’ve come full circle, where I’m the reigning champion and defending against Josh. It’s quite unbelievable."
