Leigh Wood’s imminent return teases the possibility of Emanuel Navarrete war

The last meaningful punch Leigh Wood threw in a boxing ring, at least in a competitive sense, was arguably the finest of his career, which is saying something. It was, you might recall, a right hook, and it caught Josh Warrington in the seventh round of a featherweight title fight, just at the point at which Warrington appeared to have taken over and believed he would win. 

Not only did that hook again turn the tables for Wood, the WBA champion, but it was also thrown over a year ago now. In fact, Wood’s thrilling finish of Warrington took place all the way back in October 2023 and since then the all-action fighter from Nottingham has been conspicuous by his absence. There have, during a 15-month hiatus, been injuries and cancelled plans, not to mention frustration on the part of both Wood and those who enjoy watching him fight. 

“It was hard, very hard,” Wood said of his time away. “I had the fight at the City Ground fall through, which I really wanted. I did everything to get it and then it didn’t happen. But I’m not one to sit around and moan, so I just cracked on. I then got a really bad injury and that put me out for pretty much all of the year. 

“It wasn’t until the turn of the year that I was back in full-time training. I was training before that but not as I should have been. I was just doing what I could do, which I’ve always done. If I can’t run, I’ll do something with my top half. If I can’t do something with my top half, I’ll run. I do whatever bits and bobs I can and work around things. But obviously you can’t fight in that sort of state, so it was a very frustrating year for me. 

“People don’t want to hear you moan about why you’re not fighting, though. They just want to know when you are fighting.”

Perhaps the only thing worse than a stalled career is when a fighter’s career stalls just as it is starting to motor and gather some momentum. This was true in the case of Wood, for as well as beating Warrington in fine style, he had also just exacted revenge on Mauricio Lara, the last man to beat him. Which is why the idea of him then spending the entirety of 2024 out of action seemed both unfair and unthinkable. 

And yet, as Wood himself said, nothing could be done about it. Moreover, with experience comes maturity and with maturity comes greater understanding and perspective. 

“I’ve been in a similar situation before, where I’ve been injured and out for a long time,” Wood, 28-3 (17 KOs), explained. “But back then I didn’t have any money, I was getting older, I hadn’t achieved what I wanted, and it was much more frustrating. This time I feel the frustration not because of money or anything, but more because of my age and the fact these are my last few years in the sport. It’s frustrating to know that and be on the sidelines. 

“I wish I never got injured but you get the cards you’re dealt and you have to just crack on. That’s what I tell people in the gym. Some of them moan about not getting fights and I say to them, ‘Look, just stay ready, because the opportunities will always come if you are. You can’t just decide to be ready for a fight. You have to keep progressing, keep training, and it will come.’ 

“I practice what I preach and I do what I can and hopefully this year I will take it by storm and get back to my best.”

Now, as we all wearily stumble into 2025, Wood has an urgency and enthusiasm others may lack, or are simply looking for. Better yet, he now has the additional comfort of knowing that his return to the ring will see him fight at junior lightweight, the division four pounds north of the one in which he won his WBA belt and suffered towards the end. 

“I can’t wait, to be honest,” he said. “That Warrington fight was the tail end of featherweight for me and it had to be. For years it had been really hard to make the weight and it took a lot out of me. Even super featherweight won’t be easy; I’ll have to come down still to make it. But I’ll get a little more room and will hopefully feel a bit fresher and a bit stronger as a result. 

“I made the decision to move up before the (Warrington) fight. If it wasn’t for the fact that was my biggest payday, and the biggest domestic fight that could be made, I would have moved up a while back. But there was a lot on the line – bragging rights, etcetera – and it just seemed a perfect fight to take and the perfect opponent to fight at that time. I just said to myself, ‘Right, get through this fight, win it at any cost, and then you can move up.’ That’s what I had in my mind throughout training camp. I trained hard for it, I did what I could with the weight, but it was still extremely hard to make. I remember the day before the fight, just after making weight, I got a cold sore. I thought, For fuck’s sake. I knew I was rundown then, but I tried to stay focused and get the job done. 

“For the last five fights I couldn’t even have an interview with the broadcasters after making weight. I couldn’t even talk after making weight. That’s how bad it had become. You know it’s bad when you can’t even string a sentence together the day before a fight. 

“Once you’re rehydrated and fuelled up, you try not to think about the struggles, but it must take something out of you, the weight-making. I wouldn’t have been 100 per cent for those final featherweight fights and I think that will become clear when I start fighting at super featherweight.”

So long as all goes well in camp, Wood’s first fight at his new weight will take place this spring. He has a date for it already, in fact, and this date will be made public very soon. 

As for his aims at junior lightweight, the 36-year-old remains open to every possibility and opportunity. 

“People will say I’ve overachieved but in my mind I want to achieve my maximum,” Wood said. “Until I get beaten, that’s not been achieved yet. I’m not scared of failure. I’m not scared of trying and losing. I want to see where I’m at, so I’m just going to keep testing myself. People will say you should finish on top, but what is my top? I won’t know that until I test myself against the very best. 

“The super featherweight division is hot right now. That (Emanuel) Navarette fight would be a good one, but the chances of it happening are quite slim. Then you have the likes of (O’Shaquie) Foster and (Anthony) Cacace. They are all exciting fights and they all have their strengths as opponents. But I still feel like if I approach each fight right and do my due diligence, I can get over the line and beat them all. I’m just going to take it fight by fight really, as I have always done. I’m not sure how many I’ve got left.”

Though some may argue that a potential fight against Navarette would serve to shorten Wood’s career, and vice versa, it is still difficult not to see the appeal and become enthused by the prospect now that both inhabit the same weight class. Navarette is, after all, a man after Wood’s heart; someone whose relentless pursuit of an opponent is often the very thing that breaks their heart and has them looking for a way out. They are, in that respect, made for each other, Wood and Navarette. 

“He makes a lot of mistakes that I feel I can capitalise on,” said Wood. “But at the same time, he has a lot of strengths himself. He’s very good. He’s rangy, he has long arms, and he’s big for the weight. I just feel like I’ve got the power to exploit the mistakes he makes when he rushes in and leaves himself open. I think I have the power to stop him in his tracks. He’s very reckless at times, but in the same breath he gets away with it and makes it unorthodox. Unless you know what you are doing, you can have a really hard night with him.

“I think that would be a great fight, but the chances of it being made are quite slim, promoter-wise, and from a broadcaster point of view. Then again, there’s a lot of money going around at the moment, so you just never know.”

While for many it’s the chief motivation, with Wood there is a sense that he is excited to return to the ring for reasons beyond simply making money. To earn is of course important for Wood, as it is for any fighting man, but only when a fighter sits out of the ring for an extended period do they start to realise that money isn’t the primary reason they choose to do what they do with their body, brain, and time. This is, for Wood, his natural habitat, his home, his calling. Without it, he is not only frustrated, but lost.