Nottingham’s Leigh Wooden has needed to wait patiently for information concerning a struggle in opposition to Leo Santa Cruz, however issues at the moment are beginning to transfer, writes Elliot Worsell
SUCH is each Leigh Wooden’s punch energy and ambition, all he requires is an opportunity, a gap, only one. Grant him that, both when negotiating a struggle or throughout a struggle, and he’ll sometimes seize it with each arms, extra so to in the present day than ever earlier than.
His profession, in any case, has been a troublesome one, with no favours given and early setbacks making the eventual glory all of the sweeter. Now, at 33, and in the most effective type of his life, the Nottingham featherweight is on the cusp of creating himself at a world-class stage, if solely he’s given the possibility.
“It’s been extraordinarily irritating,” he advised Boxing Information, explaining his latest temper, “nevertheless it’s simply a kind of issues, the politics of boxing. It’s not one thing I haven’t seen earlier than. I’ve had it all through my complete profession. I’m sort of used to it.”
The reason for Wooden’s frustration, after all, has had all the pieces to do with the World Boxing Affiliation (WBA) and the standing of their featherweight belt, at the moment held by Leo Santa Cruz. Uncertain whether or not Santa Cruz would return to featherweight, or search extra alternatives at super-featherweight, Wooden, the subsequent man in line to problem the Mexican, was left in a sort of no man’s land.
“I feel he’s keen to struggle and we’re coming into a negotiation interval,” he stated, “so it appears prefer it’s now transferring in the suitable path. Hopefully we’ll have extra information within the coming weeks.
“I stated I wish to struggle somebody in that prime six or seven and Santa Cruz is a good identify. He’s a reputation aware of UK followers due to his fights with (Carl) Frampton and in latest occasions he’s moved up in weight and are available up brief in opposition to a really large puncher (Gervonta Davis) at light-weight (albeit fought at 130 kilos). Hopefully it comes off and I get the possibility to rightfully take my place amongst these guys. It will be good to get that scalp. It’s one I 100% consider I can get.”
Additionally 33, Santa Cruz is a veteran of 41 skilled fights and was final seen outpointing Keenan Carbajal in a 10-round super-featherweight bout in February. Earlier than that, he had been knocked out somewhat violently within the sixth spherical of a 2020 struggle in opposition to Gervonta Davis, the WBA light-weight belt-holder who agreed to struggle Santa Cruz, the WBA super-featherweight belt-holder, at 130 kilos (the super-featherweight restrict).
His final struggle at featherweight, actually, was a defence of his WBA belt in opposition to Rafael Rivera all the best way again in February 2019, making Wooden’s uncertainty concerning each his future and Santa Cruz’s future fully comprehensible.
“He’s been on my radar for the final yr and a bit,” stated Wooden. “However when he moved up, I believed he may not come again down. I’m really stunned he has.
“I used to observe him in these fights with Frampton. We weren’t on one another’s radars then however I might nonetheless look and see who was on the prime of the tree and he was undoubtedly up there on the time.
“It’s not surreal (to struggle somebody of Santa Cruz’s calibre), however there have been clearly occasions in my profession once I didn’t really feel I might get the chance to show myself at this stage. Fortunately, the Golden Contract got here up and that opened numerous doorways for me. Then I made the transfer to Ben (Davison, his coach) and he acquired the most effective out of me.
“I at all times knew I had the power to get to that subsequent stage however I simply didn’t know whether or not these doorways would open for me. They’ve now, although. It’s come on the finish of my profession, however that’s okay. I’ve nonetheless acquired a number of time to get these large fights, hopefully.”
The concept of placing collectively two aggressive, relentless featherweights like Santa Cruz and Wooden appears about as accountable, on the face of it, as letting two harmful canine go at it in a confined house. It turns into all of the extra horrifying, too, this prospect, when one considers it was solely in March Wooden was combining with Eire’s Michael Conlan to provide arguably the most effective and positively most dramatic struggle of 2022.
“From the skin trying in, it appears like it is going to be much like my final struggle,” stated Wooden, laughing. “However I’ve acquired an awesome crew and we break down fights properly and know precisely what we have to do. We’ve been taking a look at this struggle since my final one as a result of we knew the state of affairs may come up the place the belt state of affairs must be sorted. We checked out him right away, so we’ve already gone by way of sport plans and an evaluation. It appears like it is going to be a struggle much like my final one, nevertheless it’s going to extra favoured to myself than the final one.”
When it comes to executing this sport plan, Wooden will little question need to depend on various attributes he possesses, a few of which he used in opposition to Conlan to safe the end within the twelfth spherical, whereas others, for causes solely he is aware of, have been uncared for.
“I punch tougher (than Santa Cruz) for a begin,” Wooden stated. “However the principle factor is that I’m adaptable to a sport plan. If you happen to have a look at my final three fights, I didn’t field the identical method in any of them. That’s as a result of I needed to adapt and regulate to win the struggle.
“That’s what I’ll do in opposition to Santa Cruz. I’ll need to adapt and the sport plan will probably be totally different but once more. I’ll be ensuring I get off what I’m good at and stopping him doing what he’s good at.”
