Update: Matchroom has confirmed that Wood-Warrington will take place on neutral ground at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England, on October 7th, shown live worldwide on DAZN.
The WBA Championships Committee has approved a special permit requested by Matchroom Boxing for featherweight champ Leigh Wood, to fight Josh Warrington. Wood just regained the 126-pound crown in a rematch against Mauricio Lara last May and has a mandatory fight with Othabek Kholmatov. However, the champion’s team requested special permission from the WBA to make an optional fight against Warrington.
After a review of the case, the committee decided to approve the fight on the condition that the winner, or Wood in case of a draw, will fight Kholmatov no later than 120 days after the bout.
While the Wood-Warrington bout is taking place, Kholmatov will be allowed to make an optional fight against an approved opponent.
With very few exceptions, I don’t particularly like the idea of people receiving title shots off the back of losses, but I know that they had been working towards this one for awhile. I just thought they’d have Warrington back out before it.
Warrington is in a bad spell. He has just one win in his last four fights — over the last four years — now and I think Wood beats him. I do, however, think whoever wins this fight loses to Kholmatov.
Good comment.
Otabek Kholmatov’s last two fights show a future that might be interesting. But as with many boxers from Uzbekistan, his defense needs to improve, especially now that he is starting to climb the rankings. I think he becomes a bit too easy to target under pressure. He definitely has the potential to establish himself as a top 10.
Leigh Wood has probably piled up some confidence from both fights against Mauricio Lara. He ran on an unnecessary left hook in the first fight which he had an advantage in until then. Impressivelly Leigh Wood got his revenge when he controlled fight number two three months later.
I like Josh Warrington too, but as you said he is in a bad spell. He was unlucky to face Luis Alberto Lopez in his latest fight who is in the middle of a flow of victories.
But I agree that Leigh Wood has the best hand in that fight. I’m not sure Otabek Kholmatov manages either of these two. I think he is too unproven compared to the Brits, also he is lacking in the defensive, and I think it will be difficult for him to successfully take that step.
You make really good points, Zocker (as always) and I do agree that Kholmatov is a bit predictable and his defense isn’t always on point; but in saying that, I think Warrington, particularly recently, has also shown pretty large gaps in his defense. He’s getting hit more and more and though he does have the capacity to move and use his legs more, he doesn’t always do that and I think he’d sit there and fight Kholmatov long enough for him to land something big. Wood would definitely be the harder fight and he showed in the rematch with Lara that he can avoid a war when he needed to and I could well see him taking a decision over Kholmatov. However, he’s also shown that he’ll stand there and trade with someone as well (like the first Lara fight) and were I to pick, I would say that he’d also give Kholmatov enough of an opportunity to get his work done as well, which is why I’d favor Kholmatov.
That being said, all of this might just be a collection of moot points because I’ve also read that the Wood – Warrington winner would immediately vacate the title after the fight, leaving it for Kholmaov vs the next available highest ranked contender, Raymond Ford
Who cares…yawnnn.
Wood in 2!