One Mauricio Lara punch separates Leigh Wood of his senses and WBA title

Behind on the scorecards, heavy-handed Mauricio Lara stopped Leigh Wood in round seven to capture the WBA featherweight title Saturday night at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England. 
 
The fight began slowly. Wood, defending his title for the second time, tried to control the distance with jabs. Lara (26-2, 19 KOs) launched forward with lefts. Wood connected with a hard left hook. Lara,24, fired a right. A clash of heads caused a cut near the left eye of Wood.
 
Wood (26-3, 16 KOs) scored early in round two. He pasted Lara with a right. Lara swung and missed. Later in the stanza, he worked the body and scored with a big right hand. 

He opened up as Wood appeared buzzed. Wood got off first in round three with jabs. A right hand knocked Lara back a step. He was the crisper fighter, but Lara is always dangerous. Wood followed up seconds later with another right. Lara fired his own right. Wood started round four with more jabs. Lara stalked and landed a big combination. Wood cracked Lara with a hard right. Lara absorbed it.  
 
Wood,34, tagged Lara in the opening seconds of round five. He jabbed to the body. Both fighters landed left hands. Wood connected with an uppercut and right. Lara looked tired as the round ended. 
 
In round six, Lara jarred Wood with a left hand. Wood worked up and down. Another right knocked Lara into the ropes. Wood tattooed Lara with hooks. Lara landed a left hook to the jaw in a foreshadowing of things to come.

Wood scored with a left in round seven. Lara bobbed and weaved - and missed and landed another left hook. Wood jabbed and fired a combination that scored. Lara landed his equalizer–his left hook, sending Wood crashing to the canvas. The soon-to-be former champion beat the count but trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel, signifying the end of the contest. 
 
The time was 2:54 into round seven.