MICHAEL CONLAN’S ATTEMPT to become the WBA featherweight champion ended in pain after he was stopped in the final round by the champion, Leigh Wood, in Nottingham tonight.
Conlan had fought courageously and skilfully and looked set to win the fight early after a ferocious left put the champion on the floor in the first round. However, the bell saved Wood on that occasion and only absolute courage prevented him from going down again in the second as the Conlan onslaught continued.
Ahead on points, Conlan controlled the first half of the fight but was unable to dictate the terms and conditions of the entire bout as Wood came back into it, putting together some big rounds in the second half, finding particular joy in the ninth, tenth and eleventh.
CONLAN DROPS WOOD IN THE FIRST!
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) March 12, 2022
😱😱🤯🤯#WoodConlan pic.twitter.com/j1Omtnpl3x
Just when it seemed that Conlan had weathered the storm, Wood got on the front foot in the final round, ignoring the referee’s complaints about pushing.
Conlan was fighting smart defensively at this stage but then missed with a left before getting caught. An onslaught from the Nottingham-man followed; and eventually he knocked Conlan out of the ring to successfully defend his title. Conlan had to be attended to by paramedics amid worrying scenes.
Earlier, Caoimhin Agyarko won a unanimous decision against Juan Carlos Rubio to claim the WBA International Middleweight Title.
Naas’s Gary Cully won an international lightweight contest against Mexican veteran Miguel Vazquez in five rounds while Dublin heavyweight, Thomas Carty, won his third pro fight with a fifth round stoppage of Michal Boloz.
