Leigh Wood will likely be combating for the ‘vacant’ WBA featherweight title on Saturday, after opponent Mauricio Lara was successfully stripped of the belt for failing to make weight.
Lara took the title from Wood in February by stopping the Briton in Round 7, because the towel got here in regardless of Wood beating the referee’s rely after a knockdown. The pair are set for a rematch on Saturday (27 May), however solely Wood, 34, will likely be eligible to depart Manchester as champion.
That was the ruling after Lara got here in practically three kilos over the 126lbs featherweight restrict at Friday’s weigh-in. While Wood weighed 125.9lbs, Lara hit the scales at 129.8lbs, after the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) refused to let the Mexican weigh lower than 128.5lbs.
The BBBofC expressed concern after a mid-week test urged that Lara, 25, would wrestle to make weight ‘safely’.
Promoter Eddie Hearn informed Behind The Gloves on Friday (26 May): “[Lara] cannot win the championship tomorrow night. In effect, the world championship is vacant.
“The WBA have just confirmed to me: The belt is vacant.
“Leigh Wood decided, because his weight was fine, ‘I’m making championship weight; I’m winning a world title on Saturday night.’
“[Lara] feels a little bit hard done by, because he says he could have made weight and he wasn’t allowed to try and make weight. But ultimately, the board decided that he was too heavy at that point during the week to safely make championship weight.”
Wood’s coach Ben Davison got here in for criticism in February, after he threw within the towel with six seconds left in Round 7, regardless of Wood beating the referee’s rely after a knockdown.
Wood, combating in his hometown of Nottingham, was main the combat up till that time.
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