NOTTINGHAM, England — Leigh Wood secured a second win over Josh Warrington with a unanimous decision victory against his old rival on Saturday.
The judges scored the contest 119-109, 119-110, 117-111 in favor of Wood (29-4, 17 KOs).
The fight came over two years after the pair’s first which Wood won with a Round 7 knockout.
Both Wood and Warrington (32-5-1, 8 KOs) were cheered on by an incredible crowd in Nottingham. The bout got off to a fast start with both men letting their hands go.
Warrington led with his looping left hand that caused swelling on Wood’s right eye and a bloody nose.
However, Wood was controlled and set the pace of the fight, controlling the distance, and while Warrington’s defense was solid, Wood peppered him with enough shots to keep the score ticking over.
Wood used his jab to keep Warrington from moving in too much and had more power than his Leeds rival.
The fight slowed through the middle rounds as the two veterans — and the electric crowd — caught their breath, but it fired up again late on as they both looked to finish strong.
Warrington continued to catch Wood and snapped his head back a couple of times in Round 9, but Wood didn’t waver and continued to set the pace.
Both men were asked what the future held but neither would commit to either continuing or hanging up the gloves.
Wood, 37, has long dreamt of fighting at the City Ground, home of Nottingham Forest, while Warrington, 35, thanked his loyal Leeds supporters who made their voices heard in their rival city.