The Boxing Truth®

Historically, the 126lb. Featherweight division has provided many memorable battles throughout numerous decades throughout Boxing history. In more recent times, however, it seems as though the division has found itself in a consistent pattern of transition. If not a transition of fighters beating champions for versions of the World Featherweight championship, transitions in that fighters that become the central figures of the division move up in weight seeking more world championships and more lucrative opportunities. While the most interesting topic of discussion in the present day with regard to the Featherweights in the eyes of many fans is likely when the current unbeaten Undisputed Jr. Featherweight world champion Naoya Inoue, a fighter who has achieved undisputed champion status as both a Bantamweight and a Jr. Featherweight, will eventually enter the division, the current crop of world champions in the division are angling to establish themselves as the division’s next central f...

The story going into the Featherweight bout between former two-time Olympian and world title challenger Michael Conlan and rising contender Jake Bateson was whether he could continue building momentum in his second fight since returning from a lengthy hiatus following three knockout losses in a relatively short timeframe. In previewing this bout , this observer stated that this fight was part of a rebuilding process for Conlan and that a win here would not necessarily indicate whether he would be back to a point where he was three years ago when he was ahead on the scorecards in his world title challenge of then WBA World Featherweight champion Leigh Wood going into the final round of a grueling and competitive fight and being literally minutes away from becoming world champion, before suffering a brutal knockout loss, which seemed to start a slide for him in the wrong direction as a fighter.  Despite yours truly saying prior to his encounter with Bateson that there would likely n...

It can be a cliche, but those who are familiar with the sport of Boxing and really combat sports as a whole, know that there are several stages throughout a fighter's career. Such stages have been chronicled numerous times by this observer in covering countless fighters over the last three decades that I have covered combat sports, and have been discussed as a focal point when a fighter either prepares to enter a new phase or as that fighter is on the rise up the ranks. One such fighter that saw such a rise is Featherweight contender Michael Conlan. Conlan, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland is a two-time Olympian and former Olympic Bronze Medalist. Upon turning professional in 2017, Conlan went on to win sixteen straight bouts leading to a world championship bout when he challenged then WBA World Featherweight champion Leigh Wood in March 2022. In a grueling back and forth fight where he was ahead on all three judges scorecards, Conlan would find himself on the receiving end of...

The showdown between two-time Featherweight world champion Leigh Wood and former two-time Featherweight world champion Josh Warrington was one which was highly anticipated in the United Kingdom as it was an encounter that brought together two of the top fighters in the sport and two of the top draws in the United Kingdom as well. It was also a clash between two boxer/punchers that stylistically appeared as though it could be a fight of the year candidate. Before an enthusiastic sellout crowd in the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England on October 7th, Boxing fans were treated to a memorable battle. Before the battle occurred however, there were questions regarding the condition of the WBA world champion Wood, who had struggled on the day before the fight to make the 126lb. Featherweight limit. This fueled speculation that no matter the outcome, Wood, who was making the first defense of his second reign as WBA world champion, would be moving up in weight after this fight.  For a sig...

One of the bigger bouts remaining on the Boxing calendar for 2023 will kick off the month of October as two-time Featherweight world champion Leigh Wood will begin his second reign as WBA world champion as he makes his first defense since regaining the title in May of this year, against former two-time Featherweight world champion Josh Warrington on Saturday, October 7th. The showdown in the 126lb. Featherweight division, which will take place at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England and will be broadcast globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN , has the possibility to be a sleeper candidate for Fight of the Year. Not only does this encounter bring together two of the biggest stars that the United Kingdom currently has to offer, each with significant followings, but also two of the best the Featherweight division has to offer. Leigh Wood's recent career could probably be best described as a rollercoaster. Many likely remember his thrilling and brutal knoc...

  Mexican Independence Day weekend has traditionally been one of the marquee dates on the Boxing calendar ever year routinely featuring some of the biggest fights in the history of the sport. The 2023 Mexican Independence Day weekend featured a bout for the IBF Featherweight championship of the world between defending champion Luis Lopez and two-time world title challenger Joet Gonzalez, who was getting his third opportunity to win a world championship. A fight that took place at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX on September 15th. While many of the previous battles that have taken place during Mexican Independence Day weekend have featured fighters regarded as the marquee attractions in the sport facing off against each other, this fight may not have been regarded as being in that category by some, but it was a solid encounter between two world-class fighters and featured a world champion in Lopez, who’s star has been on the rise. It was also a fight that featured a s...

The rematch between Mauricio Lara and Leigh Wood for the WBA Featherweight championship of the world seemed to be a relatively straightforward process. Despite criticism for invoking his rematch clause a little over three months after losing his title via knockout to Lara where his trainer Ben Davison was also criticized for his decision to throw the towel in to prevent him from further punishment, Leigh Wood was strong in his belief that he could improve in a rematch. After all, in their first encounter in February of this year, Wood was out Boxing Lara convincingly before he got caught by a left hook to the head that led to the stoppage in the seventh round. While that fight could best be described as a sudden ending where a fighter who was in control simply got caught, it was nevertheless questionable of Wood though commendable that he would want a rematch so soon in theory not giving himself time to recover from the knockout from both a physical as well as a psychological standpoin...

In February of this year, one of the rising stars of the 126lb. Featherweight division, Leigh Wood entered the ring to defend his WBA Featherweight world championship against top contender Mauricio Lara in Nottingham, England. By all accounts, it was a fight that was viewed as a next step in the rise of Wood that would theoretically potentially lead to him looking to unify the Featherweight division down the line. For a significant period of time for the champion, it appeared that he would box his way to a convincing victory over the dangerous Lara as he applied a smooth Boxing approach that not only served to out box the challenger, but more specifically build a lead on the scorecards over the first six rounds of the scheduled twelve round world championship bout. As can sometimes be the case in Boxing however, the fight would suddenly turn in the favor of Lara. Equally as sudden would be how the fight would end. In an exchange of left hooks in the seventh round, Lara's left hook ...

While much of the focus of the Boxing world on Saturday, December 10th was split between two of the sport’s biggest stars Terence Crawford and Teofimo Lopez headlining competing Boxing events, earlier in the day (in U.S. Time) saw the return of another star in the sport that deserves equal mention along with Crawford and Lopez as a headline attraction. This observer is referring to two-time Featherweight world champion Josh Warrington. Warrington returned to the ring for the first time since regaining the IBF Featherweight world championship by stopping Kiko Martinez in March of this year to begin his second reign as champion in a title defense against  IBF number one Featherweight contender Luis Lopez. A defense that took place in the champion’s hometown of Leeds, England at the First Direct Arena. Taking place in the immediate aftermath of England’s loss in the quarter finals to France in the FIFA World Cup, Lopez showed no negative effects from the atmosphere of fighting the cha...