On Saturday night, Lewis Wood, 8-2, and Josh Holmes, 15-0 (5 KOs), will fight for the English super featherweight title. 

The 130lb fight will be overshadowed by a couple of other big events taking place in various places around the world but, in terms of action, it could well be the best fight of the weekend.

Some believe the battle-hardened, in-form Wood’s relentless style will be too much for the relatively untested Holmes. Others, however, think the skilful, unbeaten 29-year-old will have too much quality and finally realise his undoubted promise.

Everybody is expecting an exciting, hard-fought battle. 

On Wednesday afternoon, Black Flash Promotions hosted the final press conference and Wood and Holmes came face to face in an empty nightclub in Manchester. There was no trash talk. There was no pushing and shoving. Just the undeniable tension that fills a room when two well-matched, hungry fighters see each other on fight week.

“This is what you're in boxing for, isn't it?” Wood told BoxingScene. “At the end of the day, you've got to test yourself and see how far you can go with it and I believe - I’m 100% confident - I’m going to get my job done Saturday night.”

Wood is in outstanding form. Those who have never seen the 30-year-old from Salford fight will glance at his BoxRec, see it stained by losses to journeymen Karl Sampson and Tatenda Mangombe, and immediately place a limit on his potential. Yet, from his debut, Wood always looked like having what it took to contest the major domestic titles. He just lost his way. 

He persisted and things have fallen into place. Last December he won the Central Area title by outlasting the undefeated John Edwardson in one of the best fights of 2023 and, in July, he defended it by outpointing another undefeated fighter, Frak Ali, in another outstanding battle. Wood puts his improvement down to pure hard work. 

“It's hard for me to say, really,” he said. 

“I've just been myself really, and put in the hard work. It just clicked. I put the hard work in, believed in myself, and that's how you can do it.

“I had a little injury at the beginning of the year, and then, obviously, I fought in July, had a good win and then, on to this one now. I'm looking forward to it. It’s a proper fight.”

Wood believes that as disappointing as those shock early defeats were, they taught him invaluable lessons. Maybe most importantly he learned just how much he wanted to succeed. Wood believes that his swarming, body-punching style will be too much for Holmes to handle but if the fight develops into the tough battle many predict, Wood will enter the second half of the fight safe in the knowledge that he has had to dig deep in a way that Holmes hasn’t yet had to. 

“ I think that will play a factor as well, but I just believe I'm the better fighter so let's see on Saturday night,” he said.

“He's good at what he does. He's a bit of a slipper, mover and stuff like that but I just believe my style can combat them all.

“He doesn’t know what it feels like to sit in a dressing room after losing a fight you shouldn’t have. I do and I don’t want to feel it again.”

Whereas Wood has endured his share of ups and downs in the ring, Holmes’ challenges have mainly come outside of it.

Serious hand injuries restricted his progress early in his career and he had to battle some long periods of inactivity. Holmes has compiled a long unbeaten record but has never boxed at title level and Wood will be his toughest opponent to date. 

Since linking up with Joe Gallagher in March 2023, things have steadily improved. Holmes has boxed five times over the past 18 months, racking up some useful rounds and - importantly considering Wood’s engine - completed the 10-round distance for the first time in June.

“It has been a long time coming. I've wanted it for possibly two years. I've been calling my manager Kevin for it. ‘When can I get that English title? When can I get that English?’ He's finally come and delivered it, so it's my time to take it now,” Holmes said.

“I've had some bad luck with injuries, but that's all cleared up now and I'm raring to go.”

Holmes possesses real talent. He has quick hands and a slick style but he is also happy to get on the front foot and be the aggressor when he senses the time is right.

Holmes accepts that Wood could provide him with a real test of his credentials on Saturday but also that the time was right to step up. After serving a longer apprenticeship than he would have liked on small-hall shows, the knowledge that he has a real fight on his hands this weekend has excited him and driven him to new levels in training. 

“His last two fights have been his two best wins, so I'm expecting the best of him. But the best of me beats Lewis,” he said. “He looks like he's got a great engine. He throws a lot of shots. He’s busy for the full 10 rounds and I'm expecting that so I've trained for that. Let's see what he expects of me, but it's going to be a good one.

“I've just nailed it down in training this time round. You've got something to train for, something to wake up for in the morning and I'm going to show my levels, I think, on Saturday night.

“Usually you don't know what the weight's going to be, you don't know if they're going to come to win or what, but I know Lewis is coming to take my head off and I'm going to go and take his head off as well.

“It's like a stepping stone. You could say it opens the doors to these bigger fights and these title fights where I want to be so it's a must-win.”

John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X