In what has been described as the fight of the year by some boxing commentators, England’s Leigh Wood scored a miraculous comeback win over Irishman Michael Conlan with a nasty knockout in the 12th round that sent the unconscious Conlan through the ropes.
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Wood retained his WBA “regular” world featherweight title in front of his home crowd at the Nottingham Arena, but the dramatic finish was darkened by immediate concern for Conlan, who fell backward through the ropes with seemingly no control over his body.
The Irish fighter was treated by medics ringside before being taken to hospital, with a spokesperson for promoters Matchroom confirming he was conscious and in a stable condition.
For the second successive fight, Wood (26-2, 16 KOs) fought his way to victory in the last round but it looked grim early on.
Wood, 33, was knocked down in the first and dominated early, before knocking down Conlan late in the 11th and scoring the defining shot about halfway through the final round.
“I hit him with everything, but he’s so tough,” he said. “I’m just thinking about Mick now. It was a bad knockout.”
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn echoed Wood’s concern for the Irishman.
“We should be celebrating one of the best knockouts I’ve ever seen, but our thoughts are with Michael right now,” Hearn said.
Wood immediately gestured for the crowd to calm down as medics scrambled to attend Conlan.
The 30-year-old from Belfast was said to have been conscious and breathing backstage after being wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher in an oxygen mask.
The belt was there for the taking for the challenger (16-1, 8 KOs) after he controlled much of the fight and nearly scored the upset in the first round with a sneaky left-hand as Wood pressed, leaving the Englishman flat on his back for a count.
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