Their first fight in October 2023 ended in seven hard rounds and one clean finish. Wood reset his feet, found the shot, and closed the show. Warrington set the pace early, worked behind busy hands, then stepped into a shot he never saw.
Wood knows exactly what he is facing.
“He [Josh] gets himself into tremendous shape,” Wood said. “He has a great engine and throws a lot of punches. But that gives someone like me great opportunities.”
That is trainer talk. Volume creates openings if you hold your feet and pick the right counters.
Wood expects the atmosphere to match the rivalry.
“We both bring a great crowd. I doubt there’s not another fight in the world that could generate such a crowd from both sides.”
He also addressed Warrington’s insistence that he was in control first time out.
“He [Josh] says he won every round but that’s not happened. He contradicts himself. Was he winning every round? Has he even watched it back? I couldn’t believe the audacity from me when I’ve beaten him.”
Technically, this fight turns on range control and punch discipline. Warrington’s pressure is built on work rate and inside exchanges. When he steps in behind busy hands, he can bank rounds. When he overreaches and squares up, he gives a counter-puncher space to fire.
Wood understands his own tools.
“Styles make fights. Whether I lose two rounds, three rounds, it doesn’t matter because I’ve always got that big punch in my locker. I will struggle to do a better job this time but I would like it to be more convincing – and I’d like to do an even quicker job.”
Then came the blunt prediction.
“He can say whatever he wants because on fight night I am going to batter him anyway.”
Warrington, 31-3-1, is not pretending the first fight did not sting.
“The game plan? Don’t get caught! I like to watch my fights back if I win, but I don’t like to watch them when I’m getting chinned. I went diving in last time against Leigh [Wood] and it cost me.”
Step in without resetting your feet against a puncher who can set traps and time the counter, and you’re walking onto something heavy
“I’ve just got to concentrate on what I do well and stay switched on for every single second. I feel stronger than I ever have been.”
This gets settled in the exchanges. It comes down to who sets the pace, who wins the pocket, and who resets his feet after letting shots go. If Warrington sharpens his entries, works behind the jab, and applies disciplined pressure, he can pin Wood down and bank rounds. If Wood finds the timing again and clips him clean over the top as he steps in, it could unravel quickly.
At featherweight, you don’t get many second runs. The winner stays in the title mix and keeps his name in the eliminator conversation. The loser becomes the man contenders are matched against to prove they belong.
Date, Venue, Start Times and Streaming Info
Date: SaturdayStart time: 6 pm local, 1 pm ET, 6 pm UKStream: DAZNVenue: Motorpoint Arena, NottinghamFight card: Leigh Wood vs Josh Warrington, featherweightsWhere to watch: DAZN worldwide
