Newly crowned WBO 130-pound champion Emanuel Navarrete and top Australian contender Liam Wilson clashed for Candidate of the Year on February 3rd. There was everything you could want in a prize fight: action, showmanship and offense. Both men suffered cuts and shared a pair of knockdowns, one of which forced corner Wilson to submit in the 9th round. Navarrete and Wilson showed courage and great determination. “It was a big dramatic show,” according to knockout artist Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. Fights like this are instant classics, and it takes two fighters who have made up their minds to fight in a way that shows the audience what they are made of.
What if I told you that I see another potential Fight of the Year candidate on the horizon?
Half of the long-awaited bout is WBA featherweight champion Lee Wood, whose title knockout of Michael Conlan 11 months ago was named the 2022 fight of the year by Sportzshala. Now England’s Wood is up against a new challenger, Mexican Mauricio Lara, who showed his raw punching power and talent in England against former champion Josh Warrington two years ago in a thriller knockout of Warrington in nine rounds at Wembley Arena.
Source: www.espn.com
