By Bradley Cullen
Leigh Wood makes the first defense of his Commonwealth featherweight crown against Ryan Doyle in the latest instalment of the JD NXTGEN series at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Friday (May 10), live on DAZN.
Wood (21-1, 11 KOs) claimed the Commonwealth belt by stopping Abraham Osei Bonsu in two rounds at the East of England Arena in Peterborough last month and jumps right back into title action against former champion Ryan Doyle (17-3-1, 9 KOs), as he looks to cement his name in the featherweight division. Doyle stopped Reece Bellotti in five epic rounds to claim the Commonwealth title last year, before surrendering his strap to emerging star Jordan Gill at the Copper Box Arena in October, and the Manchester man is out to recapture his old belt on away soil.
“It feels surreal to be topping such a big show in my home city with Jordan [Gill],” said Wood in an official Matchroom Boxing press release statement. “I’ve been banging on for a while now about bringing big time boxing back to Nottingham. It’s been seven years since Carl Froch last boxed here, so it’s been a long time coming. Being the main flagbearer for boxing in my city is a big honor. Although I was happy to win the Commonwealth title, it was a fairly easy win for me.
“I think I need to beat a champion or a former champion to feel worthy of winning the title and I want to be tested as well,” he continued. “It’s going to be a hard fight with Ryan Doyle. He’ll test me and I’m looking forward to it.”
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn can’t wait.
“Leigh Wood has always had a strong following and now that he holds a notable title he has a chance to cement himself with victory over Manchester’s Ryan Doyle,” Hearn said.
Article courtesy of Bradley Cullen & Sporting News
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