World-class English featherweight Leigh Wood produced miracle work to get off the floor, survive several rounds of hell, and knock out Belfast’s previously unbeaten Michael Conlan in the 12th round at the Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England, on Saturday. The official time was 1:25.

Conlan floored Wood with a left hand at the end of the first round. His superiority in the early sessions was clear and Wood struggled to reach the target. But slowly Wood got himself back into the fight, and plenty of guts, as well as a ruthless body attack, were having an effect.

A win seemed unlikely, however, until a left hand put Conlan over for a debatable knockdown in the 11th. The Irishman’s corner complained that it was a slip, but there was no such complaint in the 12th. Conlan was caught against the ropes by a sustained volley and went limp before falling, head-first, over the ring apron and on to the solid floor beneath.

“Thoughts are with Michael at the minute,” said Wood (26-2, 16 KOs) during his post-fight interview with DAZN. “He’s so tough, I hit him with everything, but we’re fighters and we keep going until the last bell.”

A visibly shaken Wood was understandably struggling with post-fight duties: “I’m just thinking about Mick at the minute. I can’t get it out of my brain. It was a really bad knockout, and I just hope he’s alright.”

It has since been announced by Matchroom Boxing’s Frank Smith that Conlan arrived at hospital conscious and stable.

Wood looked excellent in the opening round. He closed the gap confidently and released singles and combinations as Conlan used the perimeter of the ring to stay away. It was a big Wood round for almost three minutes, but then a brutal left hand floored him heavily at the bell. His head crashed against the canvas and it’s highly likely that Wood fought the remainder of this bout with a severe concussion.

This was a brutal battle with high contact. Photo by Mark Robinson/ Matchroom Boxing

The Conlan left hand from the southpaw stance was like metal shavings to a magnet early and Wood was rocked again in the second. A clash of heads opened a cut near the Belfast man’s right eye in this session, but the wound was lateral and the blood flood down the side of his face.

Another clash of heads opened a cut around Wood’s eye in the fifth, so the injuries were even if not the fight.

However, the Nottingham man was beginning to find his groove and fought brilliantly in the seventh, piling on the pressure and making Conlan work for every bit of success he could find. Wood took that momentum into the eighth and was enjoying another big round until Conlan let fly with a ferocious barrage of power shots that landed flush.

Conlan (16-1, 8 KOs) settled into a boxing pattern in the ninth, walking his man on to the right jab and controlling distance. Wood had his moments, but lost the accuracy he’d displayed in the earlier rounds.

The good news for Wood, however, was that Conlan’s money-shot left hand was no longer having an effect. He walked through that punch and battered the former amateur star to the mid-section in the ninth.

The 10^th round was incredible and it was Wood who got the best of it. A sustained body assault forced Conlan to refill his lungs several times, but he battled back gamely in what was now looking like Fight of the Year material.

It was the same in the 11^th and the home crowd exploded when Conlan went to the canvas. Despite the knockdown being questionable, it was the moment the Wood faithful has waited for.

The 12th round was both glorious and disturbing in equal measure. Wood pulled a fistic miracle, but had to put a lid on celebrations as his conquered foe lay unconscious for several minutes. It was a dramatic and frightening sight that put the sport into perspective.

Great fights are special, but nothing is as special as life itself.

Editor’s Note: The WBA title which was on the line in the main event is unrecognized by The Ring. The WBA featherweight titleholder is Leo Santa Cruz.

Tom Gray is managing editor for Ring Magazine. Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing

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