Leigh Wood says he could have ended his career happily if he had used the style of rival Josh Warrington on Saturday.

Wood (28-4, 17 KO), 37, will face another former featherweight world champion Warrington (32-4-1, 8 KO) in a rematch at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham following Warrington’s Round 7 stoppage in October 2023.

Warrington believes their first fight was stopped prematurely, while Wood is upset by Warrington’s criticism of his Round 9 defeat to Anthony Cacace last May.

As well as silencing Warrington in their non-junior lightweight title fight, Wood is desperate to improve after a painful night against Cacace and possibly end his career with a large win in front of his hometown fans.

“I’m winning this fight and that doesn’t mean I’m underestimating him, but no matter which way he wants to fight, I’ll have an answer to it and the fight won’t last long,” Wood told ESPN.

“I’m not looking back on this fight, but it could be my last one. After the fight, I’ll look at the landscape. I’m not really thinking about what might be next because right now I’m focused on the prize.”

“We don’t like each other, that’s sincere. Whichever way he wants to do it, whether he hits right at me or tries to box me, I’m prepared for it. He can change his timing, but he can’t change his style, and his style suits me. It’s fine with me.”

Wood’s coach Ben Davison threw in the towel when Northern Ireland player Cacace started firing unanswered shots in Round 9 to seal a disgusting defeat for Wood.

Wood, who reigned twice as the WBA featherweight world champion from 2022 to 2023, claims he is in better condition than before the Cacace fight, which comes after a 19-month layoff.

Warrington, a two-time IBF featherweight world champion (2018-2021, 2022), has lost three of his last four fights and even briefly retired in September 2024 after a loss to Cacace.

“I had some good and bad nights at the Nottingham Arena and the last fight wasn’t to my taste stylistically,” Wood told ESPN.

“But this fight is really in my favor and I will look good. Before the Cacace fight, I had a huge break, I had a grave illness that I had for nine months and I was gaining weight. I have always faced challenges, but considering all this, maybe it was a step too far.

“I’ve already dealt with the illness and I’ve had a great camp. I’ve sparred really well and I’m usually not the best at sparring. I can’t wait to get there and do a better job this time. I have to win this fight. He discredited me in some of the things he said, I’ll do a better job.”

The lessons of Brendan Ingle are fresh in Leigh Wood’s mind

Wood is aiming to repeat the level he achieved in victories over Can Xu, Michael Conlan, Mauricio Lara and Warrington. Wood’s career is slowly taking off after turning professional at a leisure center four miles from Nottingham city center where he fights on Saturday.

As his career comes to an end, Wood appreciates the influence of trainer Brendan Ingle on his boxing journey. Wood trained at a Sheffield gym with Ingle, who recently starred in the film “Giant,” about his relationship with Naseem Hamed, the featherweight champion from 1995 to 2000.

“I’ve changed a lot since my debut and I’ve been through a lot,” Wood told ESPN.

“But Brendan Ingle told me early on that you have to gain your experience, I’ve been through it, I’ve had ups and downs and I’ve bounced back from setbacks.

“I was with Brendan for about 10 years, he taught me a lot of things and made me believe in myself, and outside of boxing he taught me a lot of life lessons.

“While I was there, there were some really good people coming through the gym like Johnny Neslon, Kell Brook, Kid Galahad and Junior Witter. It was an incredible place to learn and learn the craft at that time, and Brendan gave me some unusual training exercises. Those were good lessons.”