Thinking man Leigh Wood always finds a way

Change can be good, especially if it’s unexpected.

Former champion Leigh Wood first fought friendly rival and former champ, Josh Warrington, almost three years ago.

The fight was hardly competitive through six rounds. Warrington was sharper, faster, and more accurate.

Wood, whose entire career consisted of one comeback after another, was familiar with being behind on the scorecards.

In 2022, Michael Conlon was having his way with Wood. It wasn’t close in the early rounds, but grew competitive as the fight progressed. Wood was trailing on the scorecards entering the 12th and final round. He needed something dramatic to happen.

He got it barely a minute into the heat. Wood forced Conlon into the ropes and unloaded, knocking the Irishman to the floor and out cold.

Wood lost his title a mere three months later to hard-hitting Maurrico Lara, but defeated Lara in a rematch – showing guile. Wood entered the fight as an underdog, but used his boxing skills to win.

The Warrington fight resembled the Conlon bout. Wood was lagging and looked sluggish until round seven, when a destructive combination sent Warrington to the canvas. Warrington got up, but turned his back to the referee, who waved off the contest.

Warrington and his team were furious and demanded a rematch. Wood agreed, but it still took over two years for it to happen.

Last Saturday night in Nottingham, they met again. Warrington, always in shape, looked more than ready at the weigh-in.

“I can’t really see what Leigh’s going to do differently, “said Warrington a few days before the fight.

That was Warrington’s first mistake: stating that he couldn’t see Wood “doing anything differently.”

Wood said, “I’m confident. I know what I need to do.”

And he did, his hands at his sides, boxing, unlike the stalker in their first encounter. He circled, keeping Warrington at bay.

Warrington tried to get inside and clip Wood, but he’d pay for his aggressiveness. Wood continued to pick shots from range, frustrating Warrington. He was a step ahead, and his hometown crowd was loving it. The Leeds warrior never stopped trying, but Wood’s style was a riddle he couldn’t crack.

By the later rounds, Warrington,35, needed a knockout to win, but whatever little extra he might have had when he was younger was gone.

After 12 rounds, judges scored the fight 119-109, 119-110, and 117-111 all in favor of Wood.

Wood, 37, who had spoken of retirement before the fight, was happy with his performance.

“Very sweet,” Wood said.“I worked hard for this; my team worked hard. Sacrificed a lot.”

As for what’s next, Wood (29-4-17 KOs) wasn’t sure.

“I know what you want to hear tonight,” Wood said. “I’m not too sure yet. But what a fight to finish on if it was the last one.”

Warrington, who lost for the fifth time (32 wins), was in disbelief after his loss.

“I’ve been obsessed with Leigh for the last 14 weeks,” Warrington said. “I’ve trained immensely. I’ve worked so hard in the gym and in sparring. There was just something off tonight. I’m not going to make a decision.I tried my best. I wanted it bad. I wanted it so bad.”

Yes, he did, but Wood had a plan he believed in.

Then he went out and executed it.