Leigh Wood will take on Michael Conlan for the WBA (regular) featherweight title on Saturday, March 12 in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It will be a title defense for Wood against the top ranked WBA challenger in Conlan. This fight will be broadcast on DAZN from Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, United Kingdom. The winner of this fight will likely get a shot at WBA (super) featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz in a unification bout later this year. Santa Cruz has a fight against Keenan Carbajal before he can face the winner of Wood vs. Conlan. Santa Cruz is thought of as the best featherweight in the world, but his previous few fights have been at junior lightweight.
When: Saturday, March 12, 2022
Where: Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Why: WBA (regular) featherweight title fight
Leigh Wood vs. Michael Conlan Betting Odds
Michael Conlan -185
Leigh Wood +146
Conlan is listed as the boxing betting odds favorite in this fight. A $185 bet on Conlan would return $100 plus your original wager if he were to win. Wood is the underdog at a price of +146 so that means you get +146 for every $100 wagered on Wood.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well. There will also be an option on betting how long the fight will last with the rounds likely listed at 10.5.
Leigh Wood vs. Michael Conlan Preview
Wood comes into this fight with a record of 25-2 with 15 knockouts. He is the current (regular) WBA featherweight champion. He won that title with a 12th round TKO against Xu Can last year. This will be a home fight in a sense for Wood, as he was born in Nottinghamshire. Conlan is the top ranked WBA contender and he has never been beaten. He is 16-0 with 8 knockouts.
Conlan is excited to get the chance at a title fight. "I have constantly said that when the opportunity arises I will grab it with both hands.” Conlan said to the media, "I have all the respect in the world for Leigh Wood, but that respect goes out the window until after the fight."
Conlan and Wood had a recent press conference and things got a little heated. Conlan’s camp definitely had a lot to say. "This is destiny. Going to your opponent's back yard and becoming a legend and creating a legacy.” Conlan’s brother Jamie said to the media, “Ripping the title away from him and his family, his friends, the people he grew up with. It doesn't come much sweeter. And then we will get our own private jet back home."
Leigh Wood vs. Michael Conlan Picks
The first thing to keep in mind about this fight is that although Wood is technically the “regular” featherweight champion, he isn’t thought of as the favorite in this fight. He was an underdog when he won the title against Xu Can last year but he surprised a lot of people and won the fight. It is one thing to beat a fighter in Xu Can who has done very little in his career, but it is something far different to beat a talented fighter in Conlan. The home crowd will be in Wood’s favor but that is all that is in his favor. Conlan looks like a fighter that can make some noise in the featherweight division and a matchup against Santa Cruz would be interesting. I think Conlan takes care of business in this fight and wins a convincing decision against Wood.
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