Leigh Wood outboxes Josh Warrington over twelve rounds in Nottingham

Leigh Wood gave his hometown fans at the Motorpoint Arena something special on Saturday night. He put on a tactical clinic to beat Josh Warrington by unanimous decision, completely controlling the pace from start to finish. The big surprise was Wood’s move to a southpaw stance, which seemed to throw Warrington off his game entirely.

The judges saw it as a one-sided affair, turning in scores of 119 to 109, 119 to 110, and 117 to 111. It was a disciplined, professional performance that couldn’t have been more different from the wild, dramatic ending of their first fight in 2023.

Wood changed the dynamic immediately by boxing as a lefty. Warrington spent the night trying to adjust, moving forward behind a high guard to close the gap, but Wood was ready. He repeatedly caught Warrington with sharp counters as he stepped in. By the middle rounds, Wood’s positioning was the story of the fight; Warrington was forced to chase him rather than pinning him down with his trademark pressure.

Warrington did have a bright spot in the second round when a straight right hand opened a cut on Wood’s nose. He tried to build on that momentum, but Wood’s footwork kept him out of trouble. After every exchange, Wood pivoted out of range and landed counters before Warrington could reset.

As the fight went on, Wood looked more and more comfortable. He even fought with his hands low at times, trusting his reflexes to dodge shots. In the fourth, he landed a crisp left uppercut that really got Warrington’s attention. It was a reminder of the power that ended their last fight, and Warrington fought more cautiously afterward.

Warrington never stopped trying to force a brawl, but he just couldn’t land with any consistency. Wood stayed composed, keeping the distance exactly where he wanted it. Even when Warrington managed to get inside, Wood would land the cleaner shots and move back out before any real damage could be done.

By the championship rounds, Wood’s face showed the toll of the fight with a bloody nose and swelling around his eye, but the result was never in doubt. Warrington kept charging forward looking for a miracle, but Wood’s ring generalship was too high. He kept landing counters and stayed away from any risky exchanges.

Leigh Wood took the win by unanimous decision, moving his record to 29-4 with 17 knockouts. For Warrington, the loss drops him to 32-5-1. He showed a lot of heart, but he couldn’t find an answer for Wood’s movement and timing.

There were no knockdowns in this one. Wood didn’t feel the need to hunt for the highlight-reel finish; he just boxed a smart, technical fight and picked Warrington apart round by round.