: Lara landed a devastating left hook that dropped Wood. Although Wood beat the count, his trainer, Ben Davison , threw in the towel to protect him.
The rivalry between and Mauricio Lara consisted of two major world title fights in 2023 for the WBA featherweight championship. While Lara won the first meeting by knockout, Wood regained his title in the rematch with a dominant 12-round display. Match 1: Lara def. Wood (Feb 18, 2023) Boks: Wood vs Lara
Held at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, this fight ended in a dramatic seventh-round stoppage. : Lara landed a devastating left hook that dropped Wood
The rematch took place at the AO Arena in Manchester, where Wood successfully regained his title. While Lara won the first meeting by knockout,
: Wood landed 50% of his power punches, but Lara's relentless pressure ultimately found the opening needed for the finish. Match 2: Wood def. Lara (May 27, 2023)
: Wood was ahead on all three judges' scorecards (58-56, 58-56, 59-55) before the knockout.