Leigh Wood defends his WBA featherweight title against fellow two-time world champion Josh Warrington at Utilita Arena Sheffield in Utilita, England on Saturday, October 7. The all-English showdown is scheduled for 12 rounds. Ahead of the event, the fighters hosted a press conference, previewed their bout and went face to face.
The event airs live stream on DAZN.
34-year-old two-time WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood (27-3, 16 KOs) of Gedling, Nottinghamshire reclaimed the belt by unanimous decision in the championship rematch against Mauricio Lara in May in Manchester.
“In the Lara rematch I felt sharp in between my ears and physically. 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.
“I don’t take confidence from knowing Lara beat Josh and that I beat Lara. 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.”
32-year-old two-time IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KOs) of Leeds, Yorkshire was in action last December in Leeds, where he lost the title by majority decision against Luis Alberto Lopez.
“No-one ever thought I’d win a Commonwealth title, let alone be a two-time world champion,” said Warrington. So why can’t I dream more? Why can’t I dream to be a unified champion? To become a two-weight champion or treat my fans to a Las Vegas fight week?”
“There’s mutual respect. We don’t have to be shouting and screaming or chucking tables at each other to have a barnstormer of a fight.”
“I went into the Lopez fight after jaw surgery and I was just too worried about it getting whacked.”
“I finished well on top but it is one that will haunt me for ever.”
In Australia, Wood vs Warrington airs live on Sunday, October 8.
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