Lah Wood has a lot of ride at the end of this week - in the boxing ring and on the pitch

Leh Wood sits on the edge of his couch. A Navy Blue Baseball Cap covered its curled locks, and stare at the lens of his smart phone from the bottom.

“It is made or broken-it’s going to be so important next week,” Wood (28–3, 17 kos) tells unwanted.

Nottingham Fighter returns to England’s Nottingham Arena to challenge Ibo Super Fatherweight Champion Anthony Cacus (23–1, 8 kos) on Live on Dazn on Saturday night, but the title battle is far from the veins of Wood.

His cute Premier League Football Team, Nottingham Forest, is enjoying a season beyond her wild dreams. After avoiding the skin of his teeth for the last two campaigns, an inspired nine months have challenged the club for a place in the next season’s Champions League – with the Crame de la Cram of European football, along with the Crame de la Cram, reach their first FA Cup semi -finals since 1991, when former world champion Wood was just 3 years old.

This is a day after the loss to Manchester City in that semi-finals at the Wambali Stadium, and it is in the sixth place-which faces Leicester City on Sunday-is also in Wood’s mind.

“We knew that it’s going to be difficult,” he tells Ancreded. “Manchester City is so experienced in these types of matches, but we will now have to focus on the league and make sure that we make the top five. It has been an incredible and amazing weather – it’s so much life for life in Nottingham so much life that after struggling for many years to come back to the top.”

It would be attractive to talk only on football with wood, but thanks to the conversational tanges, it is impossible to ignore how much his hometown matters to him.

Since the loss of 2023, Maurisio Lara has not been serving a two-year ban for doping violations now-Wood has fought in Nottingham, and welcoming Cacus on Saturday night that is 36 years old.

“It is a community in Nottingham – and I am very lucky that it has a central part of it on Fight Night,” he says. “It is difficult to keep one percent on one percent on one percent how much the crowd adds to my performance, but it’s something I will always feed. They are like a song playing. They make the most incredible noise and even follow me across the country when I am not fighting at home.

“I always say that music and sports – and in this case, boxing – are very important because they allow people to come together as a whole, in some cases where they will not meet in other areas of life. If you are going through a good time or bad time, you are doing it as a collective. You have lifted it before the canvas.

Wood, of course, is referring to his 2022 victory over Michael Konon, who saw the rally after knocking in the initial stages. The performance shut down an incredible run of three wins for wood, which saw him against the rice mold against the British Fatherweight title and the WBA (regular) against the WBA (regular) Fatherweight World Championship-in the 12th round in the affairs of the XU and Konon.

Wood’s power is something he is capable of exploiting at his 14 -year -old stages as a supporter. He is adamant with a new team, has helped unlock this secret weapon in the last four years.

“I took a little bit on a punt when I joined Ben [Davison] As he was still quite young, but it is the best decision made in my career, “Wood says.” Ben, Lee Villie and themselves work well as a unit. When I first found on the pad with Ben, he was surprised, ‘Wow, he could crack, he could really punch,’ and Lee was confused why I was fighting in a certain way in my entire career – switching, not sitting on my punch, not sitting on my punch.

“But they were able to work on my foundation, from where to throw punches, and now it has turned into my main property. You saw it directly in the Battle of Rece Mold. It was a massive twist in my career, understanding the principles of using your power.”

This is something that undeniably revealed super Banatmweight Champion Naoya Inaua in a sparse session in 2018.

Anthony Caicus (left) and Leh Wood posed with promoter Frank Warren on 14 February 2025 after a press conference in London. (Photo by Zack Goodwin/PA Image through Getty Image)

(ZAC Goodwin – PA images through Getty Image)

Wood was working with the Inau family in Japan and enjoyed some success against the “demon” for the joy of Shingo. Wood scattered Naoya and brother Takuma in Japan for a consecutive days, but was confused that he was only with the younger brother.

“They had only one gear, the same head guard and look very similar,” Wood said. “I had some success against Takuma on the first day and on the second day, we started the spar and I thought, ‘F *** I, she is very fast today!”

“I grabbed her with a cute one or two and shook her towards the back of her heel, and her father was going crazy in the corner, cheering and clapping! I was very confused. It was a great spar, but I was surprised how much he had improved throughout the night. Later I was actually with Naia.”

“Leh Wood has a tremendous punching power,” Naya Inau later told the ring magazine. “He was big and perhaps because of that, I really felt his power and strength.”

If he may have to repeat some of his former career-secretary performances to disturb Caikas. The Irish Southpow is 36 years old, like wood, and an Indian summer for a career spent on domestic platform.

The victory over Cordina and Josh Wournington has rocket Caikus in the super featherweight rankings, and a jump in weight for wood to secure the battle of this magnitude was considered an opportunistic gambling.

“People are asking me what to do to play with these additional four pounds, but it is not so,” says Wood. “This is just that I have to lose weight. But I am so devoted outside the camp that it will not be a problem. Certainly, I have not fought close to two years now, but if I had anything, I have created a ruckus. I have not taken my eye with the ball.

“This is now the last chapter of my career, so I am 100% focused on putting everything in these few quarrels. I will retire this year or not, we will have to wait and see, but I want to make sure that I get out of the game.

“You see that a lot of fighters last for a very long time and then suffer from it later in life,” he continues. “I do not want to keep myself in that position. I have been lucky enough to get whatever I wanted in the game, a big thing is expected: fighting in the city ground of Nottingham Forest.

“Opportunities have not yet come for this, unfortunately. You need a little luck – the right rival and the right time of the year. I am still positive that this can happen, because this would be the right way to shut down my career.”

Josh Wournington (Right) and Leh Wood took action in action in action in action during their WBA Fedarweight World Title Title Competition. Picture date: Saturday 7 October, 2023. (Photo by Nick Pots/PA Image through Getty Image)

Leh Wood works against Josh Wournington during her WBA Fedarweight Title Bout at Utilita Arena Shefield in October 2023. (Photo by Nick Pots/PA Image through Getty Image)

(Nick Pots – PA images via Getty Image)

It is nothing that his heroes are also growing up – Nikki Booth and Carl Froch – managed to achieve in his stored careers, but at the end of this week, a win on Caikas well, a win well, can have an early point to call a house in one place for a fitting career.

Since leaving the famous Wincobank Gym in Sheffield to work with Davisson and Willy, Wood has felt rest in an analog game plan for each individual competition. The spreadsheet and multi-page reports assist in preparation for each opponent, and Wood’s eyes become lighter because she talks through angles from where she succeeded in her most recent victory. It has become a well -dried passion.

Of course, he is not ready to explain how he will beat Caikas, but he is convinced that the underdog is going into the headliner of Dzan.

“I never feel like a Dalit in any battle,” says Wood. “I always expect to win – anything less and I have come less. It does not matter what Pandits, Bittas, other fighters think about my opportunities, I am only thinking about winning.”

It is often seen as dangerous to flirt with retirement for a fighter, but the wooden head is safely spoiled. He is grounded and open to discuss the boxing elephant in the room. A career that preferred their health by limiting head spars has produced fruits in its later years, and 170 rounds of yield after 31 quarrels, he is still waiting for the final piece of a career puzzle.

“An ideal heat?” He concludes. “Okay, a win on CACUS and a top-five finish for the forest.” This is an estimated answer. Despite the question mark on what is for wood next year, one thing may be certain: he will soon return inside the four stands of the historic city grounds.

Whether it is happily in hand and retired with pint, or touching the glove for a piece of nottingham history – only time will tell.

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