Newly crowned WBO 130-pound champion Emanuel Navarrete and top Australian contender Liam Wilson clashed in a fight of the year candidate on Feb. 3. There was everything you would want to see in a prizefight — action, entertainment and offense. Both men suffered cuts and split a pair of knockdowns, one which caused Wilson’s corner to throw in the towel in Round 9. Navarrete and Wilson displayed courage and tremendous determination. “It was a big drama show,” in the words of knockout artist Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin. Fights like these are instant classics, and it takes two fighters with a made-up mind beforehand to fight that way, showing viewers what they are made of.
What if I told you I see another potential candidate for fight of the year on the horizon?
One half of the highly anticipated matchup is WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood, whose come-from-behind, title-winning knockout of Michael Conlan 11 months ago was named ESPN’s 2022 fight of the year. Now Wood, of England, is faced with a new challenger, Mexico’s Mauricio Lara, who displayed his raw punching power and talent two years ago in England against former champion Josh Warrington in a thriller, stopping Warrington in nine rounds at Wembley arena.
Source: www.espn.com