Saturday night saw Nottingham v Leeds in the boxing ring at ‘middle ground’ Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. Wood v Warrington did not disappoint after an underwhelming performance from main support Harper v Braekhus.
Joshua Warrington, from Leeds, returned 10 months after his last bout where he lost against Luis Alberto Lopez on split decision, hungry to claim another world title. Leigh ‘Leigh-thal’ Wood placed his title on the line after he won his belt back earlier in the year from Marucio Lara. Tensions were high in Sheffield, with fans at the stadium eagerly supporting their separate corners.
Immediately, the fight was explosive, with both fighters aggressively attempting to achieve dominance; Warrington was more explosive from the outset, landing good combinations to the body.
However, Wood remained calm and collected within the opening rounds, maintaining good defence and causing Warrington issues with his atypical southpaw stance. Warrington continued to charge at the Nottingham local, releasing relentless pressure on the World Champion, and by round three Wood looked like he may be in trouble. Wood’s lack of response to Warrington’s swift and powerful attacks suggested he may struggle to last the entire 12 rounds, and Warrington only continued to launch powerful punches.
To my right, Leeds fans were drowning the arena with cheers and choruses of ‘marching on together’; the Nottingham fans to my left had quietened, nervous for their hometown hero.
One of the most INCREDIBLE knockouts you'll see @itsLeighWood 🤯#WoodWarrington pic.twitter.com/PUTPnYbtcg
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) October 7, 2023
Round seven displayed further dominance from Warrington, causing Wood to wobble, suffering under the power of the Leeds Warrior’s punches. In what felt like a blink, the bell sounded as Wood delivered a combination that sent Warrington to the canvas, and the referee declared the stoppage.
The arena blew up with cheers and screams as Wood successfully defended his title in a surreal turn of events despite being down on all three of the judges’ scorecards. A constant underdog despite multiple world titles, Leigh Wood demonstrated his game-changing ability to continuously prove himself at featherweight level.
Unfortunately, for Warrington, this defeat has raised further questions as to whether he can rebuild his success after multiple recent losses, and he may be unable to rediscover such glory in this division, or in boxing entirely.
Image Credit: James Chance via Getty Images