Leigh Wood vs. Josh Warrington 2: Who has the edge heading into their rematch?

When the British rivals first met in October 2023, Wood ended the clash with a right hook that put Warrington on wobbly legs before a flurry sealed the seventh-round TKO.

In the time since, both men have experienced a loss at the hands of Anthony Cacace who first defeated Warrington via unanimous decision in September 2024 before crushing Wood (28-4, 17 KOs) via a ninth-round TKO last May. Warrington (32-4-1, 8 KOs) did get back into the win column by defeating Asad Asif Khan on points in April.

Will Wood make it 2-0 over his rival, proving he has Warrington figured out? Or will ‘The Leeds Warrior’ exact cold revenge? DAZN News examines who has the edge in this domestic sequel.

Boxing Styles

Leigh Wood elects to establish his range with the jab early, making sure to be within arm’s reach of his opposition’s head and body in a steady dose of boxing and moving. That said, Wood stood in the pocket with Josh Warrington in their initial clash and it gave both he and ‘The Leeds Warrior’ plenty of opportunities to land and make their bout a war.

If this sequel goes like that too, it figures to bode well for Warrington’s pressuring style — especially if he could land some of the big-whiff punches he missed in the original. If he misses on some of those loaded shots, it could provide Wood with open lanes to counter sharply. That said, Warrington has the ability to dictate the pace of this fight with his forward fighting and Wood can be hit early and often.

Edge: Warrington

Power

Warrington was piecing together some hard combinations and hurting Wood with a smothering style in the seventh round before ‘Leigh-thal’ unleashed a raucous right hook across the jaw that put ‘The Leeds Warrior’ on jelly legs toward being knocked out in shocking fashion.

Wood also counts 17 of his 28 victories by knockout in contrast to Warrington’s eight knockouts in 32 wins. Warrington is scrappy with his power, but Wood has him beat here.

Edge: Wood

Mental Warfare

Being forced to taste the canvas, flat on his back on the receiving end of a knockout is something Warrington must have gotten over, especially considering he has gone on to have two fights since that initial meeting with Wood.

That said, the only way Warrington can truly wreak vengeance is by returning the favor in what is a steep hill to overcome.

Having the muscle memory of defeating a rival once in what was not his best performance is a huge mental advantage for Wood in this rematch.

Edge: Wood

Who has the edge in Wood vs. Warrington 2?

DAZN News has the 2-1 edge scored for Wood, though this fight can be claimed by a victorious Warrington with little surprise as well. Both men believe this bout will not go the distance as they renew their hostilities and run it back for the second time in less than three years.

3 fight nights, 1 unmissable weekend - only on DAZN

Watch three amazing fights this weekend - Feb 21-22 - exclusively on DAZN. It's Barrios vs. Garcia for the WBC welterweight title on PPV; with Wood vs. Warrington II, and Shields vs. Crews-Dezurn II on DAZN subscription. Get all three all included with DAZN Ultimate Tier. 

For more information, pricing and to watch, click here.