Leigh Wood makes harsh assessment of Mauricio Lara's fighting style ahead of February 18 clash

Despite at the time being the WBA 'regular' featherweight champion, there were a number of options on the table when it comes to who he would face next. 

Would it be a rematch with Conlan, a big night at the City Ground against domestic rival Josh Warrington, or even a trip to the States? 

Instead, Wood opted to face dangerous Mexican Mauricio Lara with a bout initially scheduled for last September, but this was then cancelled after the Nottingham fighter picked up a bicep injury training. 

Now the two will finally meet in Nottingham on February 18 live on DAZN (except in Australia and New Zealand) and fair bit has changed since then. 

The fight has been given a more personal edge after recent comments by Lara who labelled Wood a 'chicken' for pulling out of the fight, but with the contest now set to take place, Wood is ready to silence the 24-year-old in what has the potential to be an early contender for Fight of the Year. 

"He [Mauricio Lara] thought that I wouldn’t have rescheduled the fight which pretty much sums him up," Wood said in an exclusive interview with DAZN. 

"He thinks he can just come to Nottingham and plough through me, and he’s that confident that he thought it was just a one off chance for me taking the fight and take it again when I pulled out." 

"I’m here to fight, I’m here to win, there’s a reason why I picked him."

When Wood walks out in front of a packed Motorpoint Arena on Saturday, it will be his first as the outright WBA world featherweight champion after being named the 'super' champion after Leo Santa Cruz finally vacated the title. 

However, Wood cannot let this new elevated experience be short lived with what could lie ahead, but Lara is no pushover, his brutal ninth round stoppage win against Warrington showed that he is a dangerous contender and if given a slight opening, he can punish his opponents with dangerous power. 

While this will be something for Wood to look out for and negate, he believes he can exploit the wreckless nature of Lara's fighting style inside the ring. 

"He seems like quite a wreckless character, I don’t think there’s a thought process that goes into his boxing," Wood claimed.

"I’m not really focused on that, I’m not thinking about what frame of mind he is in, I know how he fights so I’ve got to go out there and exploit it, and capitalise on what I’m good at."