- Leigh Wood is a +230 underdog against Mauricio Lara -320 favorite.
- Lara has won by KO in 18 of his 25 victories, will he stop Leigh Wood on Feb 18th?
- I give my betting fight prediction for Lara vs Wood below.
On February 18th Leigh Wood will defend his WBA Featherweight title against Mexican sensation Mauricio Lara. Fans can catch this heavy-handed scrap live on DAZN.
This fight has to be one of the best match-ups in the first half of 2023, it will be fought in Wood’s back garden of Nottingham. Wood is coming off a KO-of-the-year win over Michael Conlan, with Lara gaining real momentum and looking to take the shine away from Wood.
Wood vs Lara Odds
| Boxer | Odds |
| Leigh Wood | +230 |
| Mauricio Lara | -320 |
According to the latest boxing betting odds, Leigh Wood remains the underdog for his third straight fight. Wood has claimed victory in his past two fights over Conlan and Xu Can, both fights he won by TKO. Betting on Wood at +230 would net $230 profit off a $100 wager.
Meanwhile, Lara’s dominance at featherweight is favored with an implied win probability of 76.1% Before betting on Lara vs Wood check out these boxing online betting sites.
Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara Prediction
Mauricio “Bronco” Lara is no stranger to taking on UK fighters on their home soil. After fighting Josh Warrington in back-to-back fights in 2021, where he stopped Warrington in the 9th round in their first encounter then the rematch was stopped prematurely due to an accidental clash of heads.
Lara and Warrington, don’t really have unfinished business but you can still expect that trilogy to be there waiting to be made.
After the second Warrington fight, Lara went on to stop Emilio Sanchez and José Sanmartin both in the 3rd round. These names were not nearly as big as Wood or Warrington, but at only 24 years of age, Lara will start to see bigger challenges as he takes on more championship-level fighters.
Leigh Wood on the other hand is over 10 years older than Lara, he has finally proven himself in the latter stages of his career. His style tends to leave himself open, as we saw in the Conlan fight with the early knockdown. I do see Wood’s style falling into the hands of Lara, but the Mexican should expect his chin to be tested too.
Expect “Bronco” Lara to bring the noise as always, will Wood be able to match it and go toe-for-toe with the younger fighter? “Leigh-thal” has certainly exceeded expectations in recent years, so I wouldn’t count him out. He’s currently one of the best British boxers out there and has proven himself to be a champion. If Lara can get past Wood, then there won’t be much room for tune-up fights, with a target on his back from everyone in the division.
My betting pick is based on the fact, Lara is one of the most vicious fighters in the featherweight division. I’m expecting an all-out war, with another fight-of-the-year contender, with the odds in favor of Lara stopping Wood in the later rounds by TKO.
Betting Pick: Lara by TKO.
Who is on the Leigh Wood vs. Mauricio Lara Card?
- Leigh Wood (c) vs. Mauricio Lara, WBA featherweight title
- Dalton Smith (c) vs. Billy Allington, British super lightweight title
- Gamal Yafai vs. Diego Alberto Ruiz, super bantamweight
- Gary Cully vs. Wilfredo Flores, lightweight