Friday's Final Word
A final look ahead at Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara & Erin Blanchfield vs Jessica Andrade.
Happy Friday all and welcome to the latest edition of The Combat Club Podcast!
The only place to start this week is Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara and I am beyond excited for this matchup.
Boxing has started very strong in 2023 and getting this fight on the back of the likes of Smith Eubank and Beterbiev Yarde is EXACTLY where the sport needs to be.
Two bangers, not afraid to trade off?
Saturday is UNMISSABLE!
I have digested literally everything this week, listened to every interview and watched all the pre fight pleasantries and I feel like I have got a good hold on the fight and I think there are a few factors that will determine the winner.
Firstly…
Weight
I don’t think the 126lb limit is easy for either of these men.
I have kept a close eye all week and I know it has been tough for both.
In truth, I think Wood struggled in the Conlan fight and that probably explains why he was hurt multiple times, more than he has been previously.
That was a year ago and although I have no doubt’s he has been training, another year out the ring would have made this cut even more difficult.
This isn’t all about Wood though.
Lara hasn’t had it easy himself, despite the Pizza and cans of Coke (see below courtesy of IFLTV)
The difference is, I don’t think the tactics of Lara will be impacted by a tough weight cut.
His tactics, in my opinion, are pretty straight forward.
Michael Conlan hurt Wood early..
So can I!
He will be looking to inflict damage from the opening bell, he won’t be afraid to take some stick either, but it’s the first six rounds where I think Lara really goes for it.
If Wood survives that, who knows, but I don’t think a tough weight cut will hurt Lara as much as I think it might hurt Leigh Wood.
Here’s why…
In front of his home crowd, with pressure, nerves and his new world title on the line, I think Leigh Wood is dealing with a lot more than a fight this weekend.
Do I think he can handle it?
I do, actually.
He is a fighter who has always done things the hard way, and he can again, but we are now reaching the point where the small details make all the difference.
To win this fight, Wood will need to be very discplined in the opening six. Make it into a boxing fight and bide his time
If that weight cut has hurt him, I don’t know if he will be sharp enough or patient enough to carry out a game plan like that.
Onto my next point..
Activity
Last March, Leigh Wood had an epic twelve rounder with Michael Conlan.
As most reading this will know, he was down in the first, before dropping Conlan in the 11th and finishing the fight in the 12th.
Interestingly, his second 12th round finish in a row!
Can’t have been done much that…surely?
But almost a year has passed now and we haven’t seen Wood.
Granted, a fight like that means you have to heal for a long time.
But, one fight a year is not ideal preperation.
Not against someone like Lara, who will put it on you before you have time to find your groove again.
On the flip side
Following that brutal destruction of Josh Warrington, Mauricio Lara has been kept busy and he got two confidence boosting knockout wins last year.
His first one in March but his three round knockout win in October over Jose Sanmartin was impressive.
Sanmartin is no world beater, but he is durable, he took Emmanuel Navarrete 12 rounds in 2018.
To conclude, I think this is a great fight that is not going twelve rounds.
I don’t write Wood off but I do make Lara a sizeable favourite.
He punches hard, has an underrated jab and won’t be fazed by the atmosphere.
I think he might catch Wood early and claim another huge victory in the UK.
Keep an eye on Dalton Smith and Sam Maxwell on the undercard.
I expect both to come through their respective fights (quickly) and announce a fight for April.
UFC
The UFC card is slightly quieter this week but the main event does feature a fighter I am really excited about.
Erin Blanchfield, originally slated to face Talia Santos, is a future title contender in my opinion but she faces a tough task against late replacement Jessica Andrade who is vastly more experienced.
For context, when Andrade made her UFC debut, Blanchfield was just 13!
The dangerous thing here is that Andrade isn’t a fading force either.
Less than a month ago, she absolutely destroyed Lauren Murphy in Brazil and she looked as vicious as ever in that outing.
Now, it may speak to how highly the UFC rate Blanchfield that they match her with someone like Jessica Andrade but she is still a developing fighter.
Blanchfield is INCREDIBLE on the mat but she is not at the same level when the fight stays standing.
It took her less than four minutes to submit Molly McCann and just two rounds to submit JJ Aldrich and it was that fight with Aldrich that raises some concern.
She was caught with some clean shots by Aldrich before dragging her to the mat and if she is caught with the same type of shots against Andrade, she will be in trouble.
This is veteran vs a prospect but it’s a fascinating clash of styles.
I really hope Blanchfield can come through this and if Andrade isn’t fully recovered from an outing just a month ago, she has a chance.
But I always like to side with experience and I think Andrade may have a bit too much on this occasion but a defeat could be the best thing to happen to Erin Blanchfield and she can still one day become a champion.
A fight to keep an eye on
Not so much the fight but the debut of Khusein Askhabov on the prelims of Blanchfield Santos is something I am really excited about.
Askhabov hails from Russia and is an undefeated bantamweight that has trained with the likes of Alexander Volkanovski.
Outside of the UFC he has been an absolute revelation and he has had some huge submission finishes as well as finishes via flying knees!
He hasn’t fought since 2020 but he is only 28 and this debut has been something I have waited for.
He takes on Jammall Emmers who is a solid fighter in his own right but I think he could be overmatched here and I expect Askhabov to start his UFC career with a stylish finish.
I think this could be the birth of a future star!
Overall, I think we are in for a brilliant weekend!
Enjoy all the action and please leave some feedback.
We have come to the end of the first week of The Combat Club and I would love to hear your comments or suggestions on how we get better!
Speak to you all on Monday!
Superb analysis as always Jord! Lucking forwards to seeing it unfold…. I actually think Wood will take Lara further into the fight but I also expect Lara to come out on top