By Sam Volz: Newly topped WBA featherweight champion Mauricio Lara says he has no issues returning to the UK for a second struggle with the conquered champ Leigh Wooden if he chooses to execute the rematch clause of their contract.
Wooden, 34, wants to take a seat down together with his staff and determine whether or not to take the quick rematch with Lara or let him struggle Josh Warrington first in a trilogy after which face the winner.
Contemplating that that is the second consecutive struggle during which Wooden has been dropped exhausting, touchdown on his again, it might be sensible for him to let Lara struggle Warrington subsequent. In Wooden’s earlier struggle towards Michael Conlan in March of final 12 months, he was knocked down exhausting within the first spherical.
Does Wooden want a protracted break?
That knockdown was a mirror picture of the one which Wooden suffered towards Lara. The one distinction is Wooden was in worse form when he obtained again up towards Lara, and his probabilities of making it out of the spherical had been small, given what he was up towards.
If this was the light-hitting Conlan that Wooden was preventing final Saturday evening, there’s a robust chance that his coach Ben Davison wouldn’t have thrown within the towel as a result of that man isn’t identified for his energy, and his probabilities of ending Leigh wouldn’t have been close to as sure.
Is Wooden’s knockdowns only a coincidence?
Struggling equivalent knockdowns in back-to-back fights would appear to recommend that Wooden’s punch resistance has been impaired, and for that cause, it might be good for him to not execute the rematch clause with Lara.
In different phrases, overlook all about preventing Lara once more, and go in one other route in the direction of opposition with much less energy, like the blokes he’d been preventing his whole twelve-year skilled profession.
Followers may not pay attention to this, however Lara was the primary man that Wooden confronted throughout his profession with energy. All the remainder of the opposition Wooden had been matched towards had been weaker punchers like Can Xu, Michael Conlan, Gavin McDonnell, Jazza Dickens, David Oliver Joyce, and Ryan Doyle. These are the most effective names on Wooden’s flimsy resume, and none of them had energy. These guys can’t punch.
So now that Wooden has been destroyed by the primary energy puncher he’s confronted throughout his lengthy 12-year profession, it’s not a good suggestion to throw him again in there with Lara once more as a result of the percentages of him getting knocked out once more are too excessive for it to be well worth the threat.
If Conlan knocked one thing free in Wooden’s head with the exhausting first spherical knockdown he scored final 12 months, it’s predictable that Lara goes to destroy him even sooner within the rematch, be it subsequent or afterward this 12 months after he faces Josh Warrington.
The hard-punching Mexican warrior Lara (26-2-1, 19 KOs) marched into the Motorpoint Area in Nottingham final Saturday evening, and after struggling in rounds 3 via 6, he got here again in spherical 7 to cease WBA 126-lb champion Wooden (26-3, 16 KOs) after dropping him with a left hook.
Wooden’s coach Ben Davison threw within the towel after he obtained again up and didn’t look slot in his eyes to proceed preventing.
Though Davison has been second-guessed by many boxing followers for having the struggle stopped, it was a sensible resolution as a result of the percentages of Wooden holding off ‘Bronco’ Lara for the ultimate 9 to 10 seconds remaining within the spherical had been slim.
Lara prepared to return to UK for Wooden rematch
“Sure, my left hook may be very sturdy and really exhausting, and a variety of my opponents know that, and it was only a query of time, however time was working out, so I wanted to step on the gasoline, and that’s what I did,” stated Mauricio Lara to Matchroom Boxing following his seventh spherical knockout win over WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wooden on Saturday evening.
“Proper now, I’m drained. I need to spend time with my household. It’s been a protracted coaching camp. No matter my supervisor says and no matter Eddie Hearn says. I’m prepared for it. I’ll take something on.
“No, it’s virtually like my second house,” Lara stated when requested if he has any issues returning to the UK for his subsequent struggle. “Thank God everyone applauded me and welcomed me very well, so no downside.
“I’ve no downside coming again to UK for Wooden rematch,” stated Lara
“I’m simply going to spend time celebrating with my father and my staff. All these individuals which have been round me. These are the individuals I’ll have a good time with,” stated Lara.
For Lara, his document preventing within the UK is 2-0-1 after three fights, and a few would argue that he ought to be 3-0 as a result of the head-butt technical draw that he has on his resume from his rematch with Josh Warrington in September 2021 arguably ought to have been a disqualification victory.
If Lara wasn’t an enormous puncher, returning to the UK is likely to be worrisome as a result of he would wish to place his religion within the judges that they might rating the struggle in a means that made sense if it went to the scorecards.
Mauricio wasn’t nervous
“I used to be calm. We weren’t in management throughout sure factors of the struggle, however we knew methods to get again into our rhythm, and fortunately we did that, and that’s what occurred,” stated Lara when requested if he was nervous when Wooden started to take management of the competition.
Issues had been trying bleak for Lara after the sixth spherical as a result of he appeared flustered and had stopped attacking Wooden for some cause. Lara was going via the motions seemingly together with his offense and never going after Wooden aggressively as he’d achieved within the second spherical.
“It means an incredible deal. It comes via exhausting work & dedication,” stated Lara about what this victory means for him. “I got here right here with a suitcase of goals, and it means an incredible deal.
“It’s virtually like I’ve been carrying an enormous burden, a stone on my again, and that is for Mexico, and in addition it’s for my household and my daughter,” stated Lara.
