Mauricio Lara vs. Leigh Wooden II highlights a busy weekend

FIGHT WEEK

Mauricio Lara will defend his 126lb title against Leigh Wood on Saturday in a rematch of February’s fight which Lara won by KO. Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Michael Conlan and Alexis Rocha vs. Anthony Young are also on the agenda.

MAURICIO LARA (26-2-1, 19 BLACKBIRD)
vs. LEIGH WOOD (26-3, 16 BLACKBIRD)

• When: Saturday, May 27
• Time: 14:00 ET / 11:00 PT (main event later in the schedule)
• Where: AO Arena, Manchester, England
• TV/Stream:DAZN
• Department: Featherweight (126 lbs)
• Rate: Lara’s WBA title
• Pound for pound rating: Nothing
• Chances: Lara 2½-1 favorite (multi-outlet average)
• Also on the card: Jack Catterall vs. Darragh Foley, Jr. Welterweight; Terri Harper vs. Ivana Habazin, junior middleweight (for Harper’s WBA title); Danny Ball vs. Jamie Robinson, welterweight
• Forecast: Number NO.5
• Background: Lara became a British assassin. The 25-year-old Mexican knocked out Josh Warrington in 2021 in London to break into the boxing scene, after which the two fought to a technical draw when Lara suffered a bad cut. This led to Wood’s title match in February when Lara stopped Wood with a monstrous left hook in the seventh round of the fight, the loser was winning on the cards. Wood will get a second chance on Saturday. The 34-year-old from Nottingham delivered the performance of his career last March, forcing Michael Conlan to put on a spectacular performance. 12^p– round knockout defending his belt. And he did well against Lara despite being cut in the first round. However, a left hook to Wood’s chin knocked him down and hurt him badly. He was able to stand on wobbly legs, but his trainer threw in the towel.

LUIS ALBERTO LOPEZ (27-2, 15 BLACKBIRD)
vs. MICHAEL CONLAN (18-1, 9 BLACKBIRD)

• When: Saturday, May 27
• Time: 14:00 ET / 11:00 PT (main event later in the schedule)
• Where: SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
• TV/Stream: ESPN+
• Department: Featherweight (126 lbs)
• Rate: Lopez’s IBF title
• Pound for pound rating: Nothing
• Chances: Even (average of multiple outlets)
• Also on the card: Anthony Cacace vs. Damian Wrzesinski, junior lightweight; Nick Ball vs. Ludumo Lamati, Featherweight; Pierce O’Leary vs. Alin Florin Ciorceri, Jr. Welterweight
• Forecast: Lopez S.D
• Background: Lopez took a breakout victory, withstanding Josh Warrington’s late trade to take the win majority decision and his first major title last December in England. The 29-year-old Mexican boxer has won 10 consecutive fights (seven by knockout) since he was knocked out by Ruben Villa in May 2019. Conlan, the 31-year-old Irishman, rebounded from a knockout loss to Leigh Wood last March, beating Miguel Marriaga in August and stopping Karim Guerfi ​​in the first round in December. The 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and 2016 Olympics competitor is a talented boxer, but has yet to win a top-flight title.

ALEXIS ROCH (22-1, 14 BLACKBIRD)
vs. ANTONI YOUNG (24-2, 8 BLACKBIRD)

• When: Saturday, May 27
• Time: 8pm ET / 5pm PT (main event later in the schedule)
• Where: Fantasy Springs, India, California
• TV/Stream:DAZN
• Department: welterweight (147 lbs)
• Rate: No major titles
• Pound for pound rating: Nothing
• Chances: THIS
• Also on the card: Melvin Jerusalem vs. Oscar Collazo, strawweight (for Jerusalem’s WBO title); Oscar Duarte vs. D’Angelo Keyes, Lightweight; John Ramirez vs. Fernando Diaz, junior bantamweight
• Forecast: Rocha UD
• Background: Rocha has established himself as the rightful contender at 147lbs with seven consecutive wins since he was defeated by Rashidi Ellis in October 2020. The 25-year-old from the Los Angeles area is number one in the WBO rankings, below the only champion and winner, Terence Crawford. Young is a talented technician from Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 35-year-old hasn’t lost a fight since 2016. His biggest win was a third-round knockout of former 154lb champion Sadam Ali in May 2019, Ali’s final fight. Rocha will be his toughest opponent since that fight. Young is ranked 8th in the WBO rankings.

ALSO FIGHT THIS WEEK

FRIDAY

• Kevin Hayler Brown vs. Julian Smith, junior welterweight, Orlando, FL (DAZN)

SATURDAY

• Lawrence Okolie vs. Chris Billam-Smith, cruiserweight (for WBO Okolie title), Bournemouth, England (no US TV)
• Sukhdeep Singh Bhatti vs. Sagar Narwat, Junior Middleweight, Brampton, Canada (DAZN)
• Lani Daniels vs. Alrie Meleisea, heavyweight (for vacant IBF title), North Shore, New Zealand (FITE)