Leigh Wood effectively ended his long rivalry with Josh Warrington on Saturday night at the Motorpoint Arena. Wood utilized a disciplined southpaw performance to secure a unanimous decision victory over twelve rounds.
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The scorecards reflected Wood’s control throughout the night. The judges had it 119-109, 119-110, and 117-111. By staying in the right spots and landing regular counters, Wood beat his rival a second time and finally put the rivalry to bed.
Wood grabbed control from the start by turning southpaw. That single move changed everything. Keeping his hands low, Wood relied on his reflexes to force the 35-year-old Warrington into periods of hesitation. While Warrington tried to get inside with his usual pressure, Wood kept picking him apart with sharp, timed shots.
The early rounds followed a consistent pattern. Wood stayed calm and picked his spots. Warrington struggled to find clean openings despite landing a straight right hand in the second round. Wood’s nose started bleeding early, but his footwork kept ruining Warrington’s rhythm.
Wood looked more confident as the rounds went by. He stepped around the heavier exchanges and fired off sharp shots every time Warrington tried to close the gap. A left uppercut in the fourth round specifically caught Warrington’s attention. Although Warrington remained determined and continued to press the action, he was frequently forced to reset after being countered.
The middle rounds saw Warrington try to increase his output, but he could not build sustained offense. Wood held his ground, making sure Warrington never found the rhythm he needed to flip the script.
By the later rounds, Wood showed facial damage, yet his control of the pace remained intact. Warrington continued his forward march but lacked the answers for Wood’s defensive discipline. Neither man scored a knockdown, and as the final bell sounded, the result was a formality.
The win moves Wood to 29-4, while Warrington drops to 32-5-1.
“I worked hard for this and my team worked hard,” Wood said after the fight. “I’m not going to make a decision tonight on my future, but if it is the last one, what a fight to go out on.”
Warrington was honest about the difficulties he faced in the ring. “I could see what Leigh was doing and I just couldn’t capitalise on it,” he admitted. “I was off the pace. I tried my best and I wanted it bad.”
Wood’s performance removed any lingering doubt from their first encounter, leaving Warrington with no path to victory.
Last Updated on 2026/02/21 at 6:24 PM
