Scratch off one of the best fights on the schedule, as Leigh Wood has withdrawn from his upcoming WBA “world” title defense against Mauricio Lara. Wood strained his bicep over the weekend.
The fight will be rescheduled, while the original September 24 show will continue with Kid Galahad vs. Maxi Hughes as the main event.
It’s a good fight in its own right, but it’s not, you know, “crushing two action figures while making bang noises” like Wood vs. Lara.
It’s a huge blow for DAZN in its UK viewership battle with Joe Joyce vs Joseph Parker on BT Sport Box Office that night, and the main year-end dates are filling up pretty quickly. We’ll see how Eddie Hearn and company decide to play this out, because this is a matchup that deserves attention.
Hughes (25-2-2, 5 KOs) has had a very good run at lightweight and will now face a former featherweight champion in Galahad (28-2, 17 KOs), who has not fought since his surprising victory on November 1. 2021 loss to Kiko MartÃnez, and will move up two divisions.
The card also features Hannah Rankin (12-5, 3 KOs) defending her WBA 154-pound title against Terri Harper (12-1-1, 6 KOs), a former champion at 130.
Heavyweight prospect Solomon Dacres will also be in action, as will cruiserweight prospect Cheavon Clarke.
