In a series of thrilling fights across various locations, some of boxing’s most talented fighters went toe-to-toe in high-stakes fights. The main events featured bouts between Leigh Wood (27-3, 16 KOs) and Mauricio Lara (26-3, 19 KOs), competing for the WBA featherweight champion title in a much-anticipated rematch. Meanwhile, in the co-main event, light welterweight Jack Catterall (27-1, 13 KOs) went up against Darragh Foley (22-5-1, 10 KOs) in a potentially career-defining match. Furthermore, an extraordinary event in Auckland, New Zealand, saw Lani Daniels (8-2-2, 0 KOs) and Alrie Meleisea (6-2-1, 0 KOs) fighting for the vacant IBF women's heavyweight crown. Simultaneously, at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England, WBO #1 contender Chris Billam-Smith (18-1, 12 KOs) challenged the previously unbeaten WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie (19-1, 14 KOs).
In a remarkable display of prowess and determination, Leigh Wood reclaimed his WBA featherweight champion title, outscoring seasoned Mexican fighter Lara with scores of 118-109, 116-111, and 118-109. The rematch was organized swiftly after Lara had managed to defeat Wood in February. However, Lara's preparations for the fight seemed off-kilter as he failed to meet the required weight, tipping the scales above 129 lbs, resulting in the loss of his belt.
The co-main event also saw an intense contest as light welterweight Jack Catterall delivered a decisive 10-round unanimous decision win over Darragh Foley in what was anticipated as a tune-up level fight. As a highly ranked 140-lb contender, Catterall showed his dominance throughout the match, knocking the overmatched Foley down in rounds seven and nine. However, Catterall was deducted a point in the seventh round for hitting Foley after he had recovered from a knockdown, a minor setback in an otherwise dominant performance. The scores stood at 99-88, 98-89, and 97-90 in favor of Catterall.
Official full card highlights: Watch Prelims on Youtube
In a historic event on Auckland’s North Shore, New Zealand crowned its latest boxing world champion on Saturday night. The 10-round main event saw a thrilling contest between Lani Daniels and Alrie Meleisea for the vacant IBF women’s heavyweight crown. Daniels, known as “The Smiling Assassin”, outslugged Meleisea to claim the title, securing her boxing dream after falling short in a previous bid for the WBO light heavyweight belt. The three-time New Zealand champion Daniels showed immense fortitude, coming off a nine-month layoff, and took a risky interim bout against Sequita Hemingway in March to stay sharp, which paid off spectacularly in this title fight. On the other hand, despite her weight advantage and backing by Samoan boxing greats Joseph Parker and David Tua, Meleisea couldn't prevent Daniels from realizing her world title ambitions.
In a stunning bout on Saturday night at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England, WBO #1 contender and hometown favorite Chris Billam-Smith overpowered and dethroned the previously unbeaten WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie by a twelve-round majority decision. Billam-Smith set the pace early on, dropping Okolie in round four, leading to a point deduction for Okolie in rounds five and seven for holding. Despite Billam-Smith appearing to lose steam in round eight, he managed to send Okolie to his knees in round ten, which was credited as a knockdown, albeit it seemed more like a pushdown. The bout concluded with Billam-Smith taking the victory with scores of 112-112, 116-107, 115-108.
Image Credit: DAZN