The WBA featherweight title is up for grabs as current champion Leigh Wood looks to fend off the challenge from interim champion Michael Conlan.
Boxing odds have Conlan, the current interim champion, as the -170 favorite to realize his world champion dream.
It’s England vs Ireland and it should be an exciting bout on Saturday.
Leigh Wood vs Michael Conlan
Conlan Tipped to be Good
It could be written in the stars for Michael Conlan, who is 16-0 in his professional career.
The Irishman won the interim title when scoring a comfortable decision victory over TJ Doheny, which included a powerful body shot in the fifth round.
Despite only eight of his 16 wins coming by knockout, he showcased his power when knocking out Sofiane Takoucht in the 10th and final round in 2020. He needed the knockout after being deducted two points for low blows.
Former pro Andy Lee believes Conlan has what it takes to become champion.
“With Mick, we’ve known for a long time that he was going to be a superstar,” said Lee when speaking with DAZN.
“The path he has been put on comes with so much pressure, but he’s responded like a true champion every single time. He’ll have to do that against Leigh Wood, but this is a fight that he always knew he was going to have to take at some point.”
Boxing betting markets have Conlan at -170 to extend his unbeaten streak. He deserves to be favorite given his record and we think he should be rated higher than 19th in the featherweight rankings.
Winning the WBA featherweight title would see him rise up the rankings and surpass Wood, who is seventh.
Wood Solid Following Defeat
Leigh Wood is the more experienced fighter at 25-2, including 15 knockouts.
The 33-year-old Brit was unlucky when losing to James Dickens in a narrow decision, but he has bounced back impressively with wins over Reece Mould and Can Xu.
Both wins came via knockout and his 12th-round knockout of Xu was a clutch performance to win the world featherweight title.
However, less than eight months later, he’ll need to improve to beat Michael Conlan to retain his title.
The sportsbook has Wood at +140 to get the job done, which is shorter than we would have priced him. We thought he would be around +170 to win, but there has been betting support for Wood.
He has power in his hands, more so than Conlan, so bettors should expect him to be throwing from the outset.
“In my opinion I don’t think Mick’s ever been in a 50/50 fight, this is new for him, but I’ve come through those challenges,” said Wood.
“I’ve been in the bookies as the underdog and come out the other side from a pressure point of view.
“He’s a great champion, a great public image in Ireland, massive, all the best on fight night because he’s going to need it.”
We give the edge to Conlan, who is the more well-rounded fighter and he should get the decision victory at Nottingham Arena.
