LEIGH WOOD needed oxygen after being brutal knocked out by Mauricio Lara.
The 34-year-old’s reign as WBA (regular) featherweight champion came to end in devastating fashion in front of his friends and family in Nottingham.
GettyMauricio Lara flattened Leigh Wood with a lethal left hook in the seventh round[/caption]
REUTERSA heartbroken Wood needed oxygen seconds after losing his world title[/caption]
A lethal left hook in the closing moments of round seven from Mexican mauler Lara sent Wood hurtling to the canvas and nearly separated him from consciousness.
Wood beat the ten count but was all over the place, prompting trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel seconds before the end of the stanza.
Leigh-thal protested the stoppage but out on his feet and needed oxygen from the ringside medics after the contest.
Wood was miles ahead on the scorecards before he had his clock cleaned and has set his sights on a rematch.
He said: “I am a fighter I wanted to keep going but congratulations to Mauricio Lara.
“I made a mistake and I paid for it. I want the rematch, absolutely.”
Lara is happy to oblige, saying: “I have no problem coming back to [the] UK for Wood rematch.
“I’m just going to spend time celebrating with my father and my team.
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“All these people that have been around me.
“Those are the people I’ll celebrate with.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn said of a potential rematch: “Leigh Wood is going to be very frustrated because he was up on the scorecards by three rounds or two rounds, and was on the way to a massive victory.
“I was actually thinking a few seconds before the knockdown, ‘This is a great performance by a British fighter.’
Leigh Wood is hoping to rematch Mauricio Lara laterRICHARD PELHAM
“The one thing that nobody picked was Leigh Wood on points, and I thought this could be the way the fight is going.
“He’ll feel like he can beat Mauricio Lara. The decision now lies with Leigh Wood.
“Does he want to get back in fairly soon, which will mean getting back in camp fairly soon and rematch Mauricio Lara or does he let Josh Warrington fight Mauricio Lara, and he’s contracted to fight the winner?
“That’s how that would play out.”