Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara LIVE: Stream, latest updates and result tonight

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Two more prelim results in the books!

Aaron Bowen wins his pro debut with a first-round stoppage of Mathieu Gomes at middleweight, after Junaid Boston’s seventh-round TKO of Peter Kramer at light-middleweight.

In Indy Sport’s end-of-year boxing awards for 2022, Wood’s clash with Conlan secured wins in two categories – fight of the year and KO of the year.

Jack Rathborn on why it was fight of the year: “In a classic featherweight scrap in the cauldron that is the Nottingham Arena, Conlan jumped out to a lead with his speed, dropping the champion in the first round. But Wood, roared on by the home crowd, closed the gap and delivered an absolutely devastating 12th-round knockout. Conlan sunk into the ropes before “Lethal” drove him through them, sparking wild scenes of celebration, including the Nottingham man performing a Jurgen Klinsmann in the ring. The rematch could be among the most anticipated fights of 2023.”

Ollie Cooper on why the finish was KO of the year: “Talk about a comeback! Wood was all but done after a monster left hook caught him on the chin at the end of Round 1 and he was saved by the bell. While the narrative of the comeback in an epic 12-rounder is enough to rave about, the knockout itself is well worthy of this award. When it eventually came in Round 12, the finish was brutal, with a flurry of devastating right hands seeing Conlan stumble then dramatically fall through the ropes and out of the ring.”

Here is the card for tonight, including the first couple of prelim results:

Leigh Wood (C) vs Mauricio Lara (WBA world featherweight title)

Dalton Smith (C) vs Billy Allington (British super-lightweight title)

Cheavon Clarke vs Israel Duffus (cruiserweight)

Gary Cully vs Wilfredo Flores (lightweight)

Gamal Yafai vs Diego Alberto Ruiz (super-bantamweight)

Aaron Bowen vs Mathieu Gomes (middleweight)

Junaid Boston vs Peter Kramer (light-middleweight)

Kieron Conway def. Jorge Silva (super-middleweight)

Sam Maxwell def. Shaun Cooper (super-lightweight)

“Leigh Wood was seconds from losing his world title last March when he found the punches to send Michael Conlan flying from the ring.

“Wood retained his WBA featherweight title that night in Nottingham in the 12th round, Conlan landed in the arms of his father at ringside, and the scorecards revealed Wood was trailing on all three. It was dramatic, bloody and unforgiving; the respectable awards at the end of the year recognised both the fight and the brutal ending. It was the type of fight that can leave a deep toll on both men.

“It was also the fifth or sixth fight in succession where Wood had either started as the underdog or the fight was a genuine 50-50 clash. Wood is not and has never been in easy, simple and routine fights. And that is set to continue.

“Tonight, in the same Nottingham ring, Wood defends against Mauricio Lara in one of those rare fights where there is a guarantee of excitement – not just the expectation. It is also a fight that demands both boxers take ridiculous risks to leave the ring as the winner; it might last less than a round, but it will still be a classic.”

Read Steve Bunce’s preview of tonight’s main event:

Leigh Wood fights Mauricio Lara in a main-event bout at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena tonight, as the hometown fighter defends the WBA featherweight title against the Mexican challenger.

Wood last fought in March at the same venue, as he retained the belt with a 12th-round knockout of Michael Conlan – a KO-of-the-year contender that came after the 34-year-old recovered from a knockdown and fought from behind on the scorecards. It was a third straight stoppage win for the Briton, who improved his record to 26-2 (16 KOs) in the process.

Meanwhile, Lara (25-2-1, 18 KOs) most recently competed in October, stopping Jose Sanmartin in the third round in Mexico City. The result marked the 24-year-old’s second consecutive third-round victory, and he will be seeking another early finish as he enters hostile territory this evening.