‘I might storm the ring!’ – Josh Warrington previews Wood vs. Lara as Leeds Warrior discovers next opponent

EXCLUSIVE – Josh Warrington is looking to fight Mauricio Lara next but believes the Mexican will lose to Leigh Wood on Saturday rather than stage an all-British stadium fight which he has already negotiated for the summer.

Wood takes on Lara in Nottingham, the former’s hometown, 11 months after ending fight of the year with Michael Conlan. The 34-year-old was knocked down early but made a superb recovery, eventually setting up a classic championship round of all time.

As the clock ticked, Wood shot Conlan out of the ring to retain his WBA featherweight crown. The Irish half of the raucous, packed arena was in disbelief, half the East Midlands in sheer ecstasy.

The triumph came a fortnight before Warrington made his comeback against Kiko Martinez, in which the ‘Leeds Warrior’ picked up an impressive win on home turf to put himself back in contention for the title. However, his career took another unexpected turn when Luis Alberto Lopez was awarded a questionable decision win over Warrington.

WATCH: Leigh Wood vs. Mauricio Lara on DAZN

This was the second time an unpopular Mexican had derailed the plans of promoter Eddie Hearn, who once again had his eye on a memorable Las Vegas trip for Yorkshire boxing fans. Lara was the play’s villain the first time around, knocking out the then-undefeated Warrington during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With restrictions lifted and Warrington getting his home crowd back, Lara visited hostile Headingley Stadium, which had become a seething cauldron in the run-up to the main event. The ref stopped the fight early for a cut to Lara, but Warrington was denied a shot for revenge.

Whatever happens in this weekend’s delicious clash, Warrington will meet his next opponent – but his penchant is to bring the Lara saga to a close for good. He told The Sporting News: “I’ll be working for the show and doing the panditers for DAZN.

“I look forward to it. It will be interesting to see how the fight goes… I might have to storm the ring, grab the mic and be a bit of a diva and challenge people!

“In the past I’ve watched people like Lee Selby. We’ve talked about fights for so long and he had to fight his mandatory date in London. Once that was done we would announce our fight for Elland Road I remember standing ringside for that, kind of cheering for Lee and hoping he didn’t get cut or hurt!

“This one is a bit different because no matter who wins, it’s of great interest to me. Leigh Wood is a big domestic fight for me. He has developed well in recent years, rejuvenating with wins over Can Xu and Michael Conlan. Everyone loves home dusting and he gets huge support from the Forest fans.

MORE: Leigh Wood vs. Michael Conlan Instant Classic Stars in Eddie Hearns Highlights 2022

“On the other hand you have Mauricio Lara, who I have a lot of history with: the man who gave me my first defeat, the Headingley scenario. There was a loss and a draw, now I’d like to get the third fight and a win over it.

“Lara would be the one I want from the two. Both are still massive, great fights but definitely Lara.”

The relationship between the transatlantic rivals has grown heated since Headingley’s balloon burst in September 2021, with Lara repeatedly calling out Warrington. The Briton sees only one reason for this: “It seems to have become a bit personal with Lara. He realizes that mentioning my name gets a lot of attention.

“Obviously, it was always in the back of my mind. Damn it, I’d love to have a third and put it to bed, but at the same time you need to focus on your own path. For me, that was Kiko Martinez and the obligatory challenge that wasn’t going my way.

“Lara has always been on my mind. But he seems to be making a big deal out of it. After the Headingley, it seemed like he was the one who was devastated.

“I think DAZN’s behind-the-scenes peek got me under the bus a little, dulled me because it seemed like I was happy to survive two rounds and wave to everyone there. It devastated him but if you look closely you see he’s the one calling the referee.

MORE: A look back at the UK-Mexico price wars

“Why would you do that? What the hell is the referee going to do? Why would you call him to look at your cut? For me, that’s an excuse: he wants out. If he really wants this fight, he’s doing everything he can to stay in it, he really wanted the referee’s attention.

“The scenes back then were him screaming and screaming and making a damn fuss about it. He didn’t have that devastation when we were still in the ring – it was all behind closed doors. When I boxed Lee Selby he got cut in the second round and made it to the 12th round. His corner did everything in their power to ensure he stayed in this fight.

Many critics doubt Warrington could win a trilogy fight, largely due to the power Lara displayed en route to his KO victory. However, the former IBF champion wasn’t impressed, insisting Wood will have enough to deal with an early barrage.

He continued, “I don’t think I’ll get Lara, really. Everyone talks about how he’s such a cracker. Even my followers are like, ‘Josh, you don’t need that third one, he can bang.’ But so can Kiko Martinez, and anyone who gets to that level.

“People forget that I was standing and taking my best shots for nine rounds. He knocked me out and the fourth and I was half shaken but I won the fifth. He’s a good puncher when he catches you clean, but I was thinking. In the second fight, he caught me clean in the first two rounds and it didn’t have the same effect as the first fight.

“We’ve all seen more of Lara now. We all know what his strengths and weaknesses are. His last fight, we saw a lot – he kicked the guy out, yes, but he broke up in the early rounds with Leigh and Ben [Davison] will come up with a good enough game plan to ride the storm, nullify its power and box it.”

If that turns out, Britain’s boxing fans will be treated to an outdoor event at the historic City Ground, with the football stadium used by Nottingham Forest each week having a capacity of 30,000. Half of the venue hosting Leeds United fans making the hour-long journey up the M1 to support their own and the other half cheering on local Wood would certainly have hearts racing.

MORE: How to bet Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara

Warrington revealed: “We’ve had talks. Offers were on the table. Percentage deals have all been negotiated. I’m more than happy to go to City Ground. I’ve done two stadiums at Leeds; it will be.” Nice to go to Nottingham.

“He will be the home fighter but I know how well my support travels. It won’t be a complete euphemism for Leigh Wood fans. When I fought Carl Frampton in Manchester it was 50-50 and it will be the same on the City Ground. It would be an absolutely fantastic thing. A major national title fight in a stadium: what more can you love than that?

“It also depends on styles – Leigh, when he’s getting going, he’s in very exciting fights. We all know what I can bring – the occasional freaking headbutt! I had to bring this in! “I’m not going to get many more opportunities at this point in my career, so I’m going to give it my all.”

Wood has lived a fairy tale over the past 18 months, unexpectedly defeating Can Xu at Matchroom Fight Camp – a fight that was only elevated to the main event after former headliner Conor Benn caught Covid. It accelerated the career of ‘Leigh-thal’, who had not long lost to Jazza Dickens as he muddled through as British champion a decade after turning professional.

WATCH: Leigh Wood vs. Mauricio Lara on DAZN

Warrington has already started mind games, claiming his advantage will come from the experience of topping an Elland Road tally: “I told Leigh the other day he hasn’t experienced that. He tickled it against Michael Conlan. I said: “You haven’t lived with the pressure, you don’t yet know how to deal with it”.

“It starts when it’s fucking announced. He’ll walk through Nottingham city center and people will go to the fight, his face will be everywhere. It’s damn beautiful, it’s beautiful, but it brings a different kind of pressure.

“Fight week, it’s all there: weigh-ins, pressers, all that, it’s there. I’ve done two stadium fights, I’ve headlined my home arena 12 times, I’ve done one PPV show in Manchester. You get thick-skinned about this stuff. It’s all new to him at a late stage in his career.