Leigh Plank believes Saturday’s global identify protection might be his latter as making the featherweight restrict is turning into more and more tough for him.

Plank (27-3, 16 KOs), the WBA featherweight champion and ESPN’s Refuse. 2 at 126 kilos, defends his identify in opposition to English rival Josh Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KOs) on Saturday on the Sheffield Enviornment in Sheffield, England.

Plank, 35, controlled his weight completely for his latter trip in Would possibly, which led to an notable efficiency as he contained and outpointed the damaging Mauricio Lara upcoming floor him early on. The Mexican fell into the struggle as ESPN’s Refuse. 1 at featherweight upcoming preventing Plank within the 7th spherical in their first struggle in February, however used to be stripped of the belt the year earlier than for lacking the burden.

“It gets harder every time to make the featherweight limit,” Plank advised ESPN. “The last time against Lara was harder than before and Lara not making the weight made me feel even more sorry for myself. I know what it is like.

“I’m 35 now and I’ve been making this weight for a protracted hour, it doesn’t get more straightforward. I believe it takes a tiny bit out of me and I might be more potent at youth light-weight, surely. There’s not anything extra I will decrease, aside from if I used to be to decrease an arm off.”

For Wood, the climax of his career could be at junior lightweight even if he beats Leeds native Warrington. Both are two-time world champions in the last phase of their careers looking to set up a big fight for next year.

“I stated two extra fights upcoming I beat Lara, nevertheless it’s a fight-by-fight foundation actually,” Wood said. “I don’t need to resign from boxing till I’m the primary boxer to headline on the Town Farmland in Nottingham. The timing supposed we couldn’t do the Warrington struggle there in the summertime — the field had a unused tone laid [before the English Premier League season started in August] or even the Nottingham Woodland avid gamers couldn’t teach on it.”

Joe Cordina (16-0, 9 KOs), the IBF junior lightweight champion, is a possibility for the winner of Saturday’s fight in Sheffield, as like Wood and Warrington he is promoted by Matchroom. Cordina defends his belt against Edward Vazquez on Nov. 4 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

“My focal point is on Josh Warrington however I’m assured and if I did journey up Joe Cordina is an opportunity, he’s a superb fighter,” Wood told ESPN. “My dream is to struggle on the Town Farmland, and I’ve to win this one to build it occur. It will must be a unification struggle or possibly a rematch with Michael Conlan to secure me at featherweight.”

Wood’s career leapt from domestic to elite level when he knocked out Xu Can in the last round for the WBA world title in July 2021, before doing the same to Michael Conlan in 2022’s ESPN fight of the year. Despite his strong recent performances, Wood is aware that Warrington represents a different challenge.

“My self-discipline and endurance used to be what I used to be happy maximum about in opposition to Lara,” Wood told ESPN. “I needed to keep switched on when there used to be no longer a accumulation going down as a result of he likes to leap in and awe you. I realized that the arduous method within the first struggle with him. Persistence used to be additionally key in the second one struggle, to not proceed depart myself unhidden.

Planks believes he wishes a special way in opposition to Warrington as a result of he’s a special taste of a fighter.

“There are things he does well but there are areas I know I can exploit against him,” Plank stated.

Plank insists the drive is on Warrington this hour upcoming Warrington misplaced the IBF belt to Luis Alberto Lopez a pace in the past. Warrington, 32, used to be additionally forbidden through Lara in 2021, needful his jaw in a hard-fought stoppage win over Kiko Martinez in 2022, and later misplaced a majority choice in opposition to to Lopez.

“There’s a lot of pressure on Josh for this one, he knows it will be very hard to come back from another defeat,” Plank stated. “He’s not fought for a while and it favors me that I have momentum, I’m better when I’m active. This is my third fight inside eight months, activity has served me well through my career. I think Josh is boxing well, I don’t think he’s on the slide and he lost a close fight versus Lopez.

“There’s a accumulation at the layout for either one of us.”

On the undercard, Cecilia Braekhus — once the biggest star in women’s boxing — gets a chance to revive her career at the age of 42.

The Colombia-born, Norway-based boxer challenges Terri Harper for the WBA and vacant WBO junior middleweight titles after suffering two losses in her last three fights.

Braekhus (37-2, 9 KOs) lost back-to-back decisions to Jessica McCaskill for the undisputed welterweight championship in 2020 and 2021.

But Harper (14-1-1, 6 KOs), 26, from Doncaster not far from Sheffield, will be boosted by home support as well as her recent form and will be making a second WBA title defense.

She said: “I’ve were given to remove her jab and keep busy. I consider I will ban her.”