Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Sport Chairman:
"The WBA World Featherweight Title. The Super WBA World Featherweight Title. Leigh Wood against Mauricio Lara this Saturday live on DAZN around the world from the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham. What a fight we have here. Someone asked me earlier, what gives me a big fight feeling? Driving up the M1 excited, thinking about what might happen on Saturday night. Thinking about the atmosphere, thinking about the great nights we've experienced in this arena. Carl Froch beating Lucian Bute, Leigh Wood beating Michael Conlan. Honestly on Saturday night I think we're going to get the best we've ever seen in this city. This is a tremendous fight to bring to the UK and we're so proud of Leigh Wood the champion for accepting this challenge as the champion. The first time you've seen an underdog in his home city take a voluntary defence. Him and his trainer Ben Davison they see something, they see an opportunity to become the daddy of the division on Saturday night. For me this is to determine the number one fighter in the 126lbs division. There's going to be drama, there's going to be excitement and there's going to be plenty of violence. We cannot wait."
Leigh Wood – Gedling, England – 26-2, 16 KOs – defending his WBA Featherweight World Title against Mauricio Lara:
“It has been a long journey to get here. I was that little kid trying to get a slot of the Froch undercards. I’ve come a long way since then. There’s nothing that’s going to beat me on Saturday night, nothing at all. There’s nothing that he can bring that I’m not prepared for. He’s ready for war but I’m ready for a smart tactical knockout. I think the underdog mentality going into a fight does help a little bit but it’s more about having that danger. With the Can Xu fight it was punches and output. There’s a bit of that fear factor to get me up for the fight. The Conlan fight, he was a southpaw, bearing in mind before then I’d only boxed one in my career. He’s very skilful and has a massive amateur pedigree. So there was that factor as well. This fight it’s a new approach but a similar kind of thing. We’ve got the fear factor – he can punch and he’s dangerous. Whichever way this fight goes I’m prepared for it. The underdog mentality, not only do I strive on but I kind of need it. It’s going to be special. It’s going to be a wolf pit. It’s going to be a cauldron, very hostile. Massive thank you to everyone from Nottingham. It's going to be a great atmosphere so thanks for getting behind me. Every time I get in the ring I put it all on the line, every single drop of me is going into this fight - whatever I have to do. Whatever it takes, if I have to pick myself up I'll pick myself up. I've shown in my last fight I'm resilient, I can punch, I'm fit and I'm headstrong which is the most important thing in boxing. That mental capacity of not deciding to give up."
Ben Davison, trainer of Leigh Wood:
“Styles make fights, more than levels. Leigh Wood has been written off numerous times throughout his career. When he lost for the British Title early on, when he lost in the Golden Contract, when he was boxing Can Xu, when he was boxing Michael Conlan. Every time he’s come back better and stronger and risen to the challenge. That’s when you see the best of Leigh Wood. You won’t see the best of Leigh in a fight that he’s the heavy favourite in. Mauricio Lara is a very brave fighter and a very dangerous fighter. In the mist of chaos lies opportunity and I believe that you can’t be as reckless as he is against a puncher like Leigh Wood. There is no doubt in my mind who the bigger puncher is. That’s not how it always plays out in a fight. Leigh is very well drilled and well prepared. He knows exactly what he needs to do and will have the intelligence and the IQ to create the opportunities and scenarios that favour him in the fight for him to execute what he needs to execute to end the fight. Fear is not anything to do with Leigh’s mindset going into this fight. We’re very confident, Leigh’s very confident. If anything, Mauricio Lara needs to be worrying and fearful of Leigh Wood because he’ll be the one that comes out victorious and he’s the dangerman in the fight.”
Mauricio Lara – Mexico City, Mexico – 25-2-1, 18 KOs – challenging Leigh Wood for his WBA Featherweight World Title:
“Hello to everyone here, I hope you’re all well. I’m feeling really happy. When opportunities come around I take them with both hands and I’m convinced that I will win. I’m not disrespecting him in anyway but I just know the capability of ‘Bronco’ Lara who will go on to win the World Title. I’ve prepared better than ever and I’ve prepared not for a fight, but for a war and I’m prepared to leave absolutely everything in there. I’ve prepared as well as I possibly can. I feel like this is almost my second home. This will definitely not go to the scorecards I can tell you that. I feel like I’ve been supported on the social media platforms and I’m going to give absolutely everything on Saturday.”
Alejandro Brito, manager of Mauricio Lara:
“First and foremost, I want to say thank you to Eddie for the opportunity. We also have to thank Leigh Wood’s team for this opportunity. He’s now just two days away from becoming World Champion. It has been a dream that he has had for a long time, we hoped that he’d do it against Josh Warrington, unfortunately that fight wasn’t for a World Title in the end. I’m totally convinced now that through all the hard work and suffering he has gone through that he’s going to become World Champion on Saturday night. I met Mauricio a little over six years ago and he always said it was a dream to become World Champion. He always wanted his name to be recognised in Mexico and around the world and now he’s just two days away from this. We’re really confident and really motivated, not just us but every back home in Mexico. They believe he will become World Champion.”