WOOD VS WARRINGTON 2 - THE RIVALRY REIGNITED
October 7th, 2023…
The last time Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington landed blows on each other. I know what you’re thinking — it very much feels like yesterday and not nearly 900 days ago.
A rivalry that had narrative the first time now has even more narrative. The fact it’s taken over two years to make this rematch means there is far more on the line for both fighters than there would have been had the rematch been made immediately.
Both had high financial demands — and rightly so — especially considering that retirement is almost a given for the loser. Both fighters want compensating for what could be the final big payday of their careers.
At 37 and 35 years old respectively, both will more than likely admit that they’re past their prime, but who has enough left in the tank to get the win here?
The first fight
The first fight between the pair was memorable for a number of reasons. The build-up, the unfabricated animosity between the pair and, along with that, the fact that both men are avid followers of two of the biggest football clubs in the country — Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.
If there was one thing this fight needed to make it one of the biggest domestic rivalries in recent years, it was controversy — and controversy is exactly what we got.
With a rejuvenated Warrington putting in one of the finest performances of his career to date, Wood’s power turned the tide once again. As seen against the likes of Michael Conlan and Can Xu, it was a game-changer.
Warrington hit the deck and, despite getting back to his feet, referee Michael Alexander deemed he was not fit to carry on.
Was he still there upstairs? Only Warrington can tell you that honestly. Either way, though, it set us up for an enticing rematch, albeit nearly three years down the line.
Fight breakdown
To the rematch now, and what a fight we have in store. They both may be past their best, but here you have two men quite literally fighting for their careers, with nearly three years of built-up emotion.
Since the first fight, both men have suffered defeat at the hands of Anthony Cacace, with Warrington losing on points at the end of 2024 before Wood suffered a stoppage defeat to the Northern Irishman back in May of last year.
Warrington has got back in the win column since then with a victory over Asad Asif Khan last April; however, Wood’s defeat to Cacace has been the only outing for the Nottingham man since that glorious October night against Warrington.
It would be naïve to say that this fight isn’t going to come down to who’s got the most left, because in reality, it very much is.
Two contrasting styles — it can only make for an entertaining fight.
Similar to the first contest, Warrington is going to be busy. He’s going to try to outwork Wood both on the outside and the inside, looking to drag him into deep waters and mentally and physically break him.
For Wood, the plan is clear: 36 minutes to land one or two of those huge bombs. If he does, Warrington will likely be in a world of trouble once again.
It’s very much a case of easier said than done, though.
The thing, as previously mentioned, that makes this fight so enticing is the emotion attached to it.
You get the impression that these two genuinely hate each other. No matter the result, there won’t be any exchanging of Christmas cards come 25th December.
They’re both hotheads too, to the point where it may just come down to who can control their emotions better. They’re professional athletes, though, and discipline is something that both men pride themselves on — but when they’re in that square cauldron, with the crowd roaring in their ears, will they have enough discipline at this stage of their careers to stick to a plan?
Only time will tell.
Undercard fight to watch out for
In the chief support, the game Ishmael Davis defends his British & Commonwealth Super-Welterweight titles against the resurgent Bilal Fawaz — and that is our fight to watch out for.
A man who will quite literally fight any man on any sort of notice, Leeds’s Ishmael Davis picked up the biggest victory of his career last time out when outpointing Sam Gilley in a closely fought affair to claim the British and Commonwealth 154lb titles.
Fawaz, meanwhile, put in another stellar boxing performance to become the first man to beat Junaid Bostan in their highly anticipated rematch, following their draw back in January of last year.
Now 37, he’s undoubtedly in the form of his career and he’ll provide a stern test for reigning champion Davis here.
A gifted boxer, expect Fawaz to try and box his way to a points win, whilst Davis will look to use his experience at the higher level to grind Fawaz down and turn it into a dogfight.
Two completely different styles — it will all depend on who can get into their rhythm first, but either way, it’s certainly a good enough chief support.
Undercard fighter to watch out for
As our fighter to watch, look no further than the dynamite-fisted Tiah Mai Ayton. Along with Leo Atang, who also features on the undercard, we picked her out as one of our four British prospects to follow in 2026.
Four fights, four wins, four knockouts — Ayton is already being widely regarded as the future of women’s boxing.
She’s fast, she’s explosive, she’s powerful, she’s spiteful and, in general, she’s a breath of fresh air for the sport.
At the age of just 19, her ceiling is quite frightening. The greatest female boxer of all time, Katie Taylor, is already a huge admirer of Tiah and, with Taylor’s manager Brian Peters guiding the young Bristolian star, she’s in almost perfect hands to take her to the Mount Everest of women’s boxing.
Here she takes on Brazilian Catherine Tacone Ramos, who is yet to have been stopped as a professional — so if Ayton takes it out of the judges’ hands once again, it’ll be seen as a fairly big statement.