Leigh Wood and Terri Harper Retain WBA Titles in England
All it takes is one punch to turn things around. That was the case for Leigh Wood (28-3, 16 KOs), who retained the WBA featherweight title with a dramatic seventh-round stoppage over two-time IBF 126-pound champion Josh “The Leeds Warrior” Warrington (31-3-1, 8 KOs) at Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England.
Wood fought most of this contest from the southpaw stance. It took a couple of rounds for Warrington to adjust. But in round three, he was able to get inside and swarm Wood with rapid-fire combinations to the head and body.
On multiple occasions, the former IBF champion startled Wood with left hooks to the head. At the halfway mark, the defending champion had swelling under his right eye and looked listless.
But with mere seconds to left in round seven, the power of Wood surfaced. He connected with a right hook that left Warrington severely wobbled. A follow-up series of power shots put The Leeds Warrior on the deck. With Warrington dazed and hurt, the referee waved the fight over.
This fight was a case of Wood pulling victory out of what looked to be a sure defeat. After the dramatic win, the camp of Leigh Wood strongly suggested that the WBA champion move up to the junior lightweight division. Warrington hinted that this could be the end of his career.
TERRI HARPER DRAWS WITH CECILIA BRAEKHUS IN A SNOOZER
At the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England, reigning WBA women’s junior middleweight champion Terri Harper (14-1-2, 6 KOs) and former undisputed welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus (37-2-1, 9 KOs) battled to a twelve-round majority-decision draw (97-93 Harper, 95-95, 95-95).
It was a messy affair and not the most scintillating of contests. Harper used an effective jab and right hands in the early rounds. Braekhus was the aggressor, and she was able to land with a decent amount of shots to the body.
In the middle rounds, the 42-year-old Braekhus started to show her age. There was a noticeable drop in her work-rate and hand-speed. Harper kept things safe and continued to move and box from the outside in the championship rounds.
This reporter scored the fight in favor of Harper. In the post-fight interview, Harper suggested that she may move down to welterweight or possibly the junior welterweight division.
