Leigh Wood believes his City Ground dream is fading ahead of super-featherweight bow

Leigh Wood has made no secret of the fact that fighting at his beloved Nottingham Forest's City Ground remains on his boxing bucket list, but feels his chances of doing that are fast evaporating.

The 36-year-old has long sought after a showdown at the historic Premier League venue, with a long-mooted rematch with Josh Warrington rumoured to have been lined-up to be staged there last September.

However, despite a willingness from all three parties - both Wood and Warrington's camps together with the football club itself - the logistics of transforming the site into a fight venue, during the 2024/25 season, proved to be too big an obstacle to overcome.

"It's the biggest dream left in my career, but I’m not sure if it’s going to happen now," Wood, who now fights under the Queensberry umbrella, told Boxing News.

"I’ve done everything I can do to try and make it happen, but it’s not anyone’s fault - the club are really keen for it, it’s not even the promoter’s fault.

"You just need the right fight at the right time, at the right time of year and at the right time of someone’s career. There are so many variables to make it happen and I just need that bit of luck.

That fight (Josh Warrington rematch) would have been perfect for the City Ground, but we couldn’t wait it out because the belt (WBA featherweight title) had a mandatory and we couldn’t stretch that until May.

- Leigh Wood (Boxing News)

"You need the right opponent to fill it, and I don’t know if I’m going to find that person - we’ll see. Never say never, but everybody knows that I’d love it more than anything."

Still, Wood is taking a crumb of comfort from the fact that he is back in his hometown this coming weekend as he ends his 18-month long boxing hiatus against Northern Irishman Anthony Cacace.

The former featherweight king hasn't fought in Nottingham since succumbing to defeat against Mauricio Lara back in February, 2023, and understandably admits he is chomping at the bit to be back out there in front of his family and friends.

"I can’t wait to get back and see everyone in Nottingham," he added. "It’s very important that we’re fighting there; I didn’t want to fight anywhere else in the world.

"I just wanted to be back in my city, back in front of my own passionate fans.

"I didn’t really get to celebrate the Michael Conlan win and before that we had the British title fight. It took me 20 years to win the British title and when my hand was raised it was in an empty room because of Covid.

"I finally got my homecoming with the Conlan fight, knocked him out and I couldn’t celebrate too much because I thought I’d really hurt him. That whole evening, I didn’t celebrate until I saw him in the morning.

"Then we were back in Nottingham for the Mauricio Lara fight where I slipped up - I beat him in the rematch, but that was in Manchester.

"My biggest domestic fight was against Josh Warrington in Sheffield, so, as you can imagine, not only am I really excited to be back in Nottingham, but I’m really hopeful I can get the win and celebrate in front of my own people."

Mark Mothershaw

• Queensberry
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