As late as the 11th round in Saturday's fight, Leigh Wood was in
danger of being knocked out. Throughout the bout Michael Conlan had
repeatedly landed punishing rear left hooks from the southpaw position, one of
which led to a knockdown in the first round. In the 11th Conlan was now pasting Wood with sharp lead right hooks. Wood took big punch after big punch, yet somehow, he stayed
on his feet.
Despite
being battered through large portions of the match, Wood kept coming forward.
He was able to land a flash knockdown on Conlan at the end of the 11th to
tighten up the scorecards, but going into the last round he was behind in the
fight.
A
minute into the 12th he backed up Conlan to the ropes. He threw a combination
to keep Conlan busy. Conlan turned his head to slip one of the shots and that
moment provided Wood with the opportunity he was looking for. Conlan's arms
were not in a defensively responsible position leaving his head unguarded and
exposed. Wood saw the opening and threw a short, devastating right hand on
Conlan's temple; the shot made Conlan's body go limp. With two additional shots Wood
knocked Conlan through the ropes and out of the ring. And just like that, with
a quick flurry that lasted no more than a few seconds, the fight was over! It
was a remarkable comeback from Wood and a performance that exemplified what
top-level boxing can offer.
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| Conlan (right) with the 1st-round knockdown Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson |
Throughout
his professional career Conlan has usually fought as a classic boxer, employing
his jab, angles and quick combinations to better his opponents. Conlan
possesses fancy footwork, the ability to switch hit and a high Ring IQ. But on
Saturday, Conlan started the fight as the hunter. Throwing big left hand after
big left hand, Conlan put everything into his shots. Wood was vulnerable and
Conlan went for the stoppage. Conlan had the element of surprise in his favor
and Wood just couldn't adjust to that rear left hook.
The
fight reminded me of Froch-Groves 1, where Groves, the supposed boxer,
immediately started with power shots and scored an early knockdown. Groves landed dozens of punishing blows, but eventually, he lost steam and his opponent wisely
kept going to the body. Groves would lose that fight by a controversial stoppage, but there was no doubt that Froch was ascendent as the bout was called off by the referee.
On
Saturday, Conlan's unfamiliarity with the role of Destroyer took its toll.
Despite his success, the energy required for his big shots was depleting him.
He unloaded his entire holster, yet Wood was still standing. Through stretches
of many rounds in the second half of the fight, Conlan would either go to
the ropes voluntarily or he would acquiesce to Wood's desire to press the
action. And while Conlan's reliance on the ropes helped him temporarily stave off exhaustion, Wood was able to have success in
several exchanges in close quarters.
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| Conlan sent through the ropes in the 12th Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson |
Conlan's insistence on fighting along the ropes showed a lack of tools at his disposal. There are other ways to slow down the action of a fight. He could have tied up more in the center of the ring. He could have tried to backfoot Wood for a round or two with just his jab. Yet Conlan kept going back to the ropes, even though he was warned that by doing so he would give Wood his best chance of success.
I
don't want to sound too harsh on Conlan. In many respects this was his best
performance as a professional fighter. Offensively, he displayed several
gifts. He showed an improvisational ability that is beyond many top fighters.
Switching stances, Conlan was able to discover that rear hook opening not four
or five rounds into the fight, but almost immediately. Furthermore, Conlan was
far from a one-trick pony. Once Wood was more conscious of the left hand,
Conlan went to work at close range with right hooks. At points his jab was very
effective as well. Despite possessing the ability to do so, Conlan didn't try to stink out the fight for a win; he wanted to make a grand statement on the biggest stage of his career. His
approach and temperament were laudable.
However,
at the very top of the sport there are fine margins that separate winning and
losing. And unfortunately for Conlan, he went to the same well too many times
(the ropes). There are very few fighters who can consistently get the better of
their opponents with their back on the ropes. Many try; few succeed.
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| Wood celebrates his victory Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson |
Conlan did many things well against Wood, but a fight is 12 rounds, and only one boxer was left standing on Saturday. Conlan will need to learn how to pace himself better, to navigate 12-round fights against real threats. There are times to step on and off the gas and hopefully he will perform better in similar circumstances in the future.
As for Wood, what more can be said? His comeback was out of a dream. It was a testament to the code of the professional prizefighter. You never know what the other guy is feeling. As bad as it may be for you, maybe it's worse for the guy in the other corner. Wood's performance highlighted the beauty, ferocity and dread of an attritional sport. During 12 grueling rounds, he was the one who could endure more. It wasn't about his jab or a defensive adjustment or a clever corner instruction. It was his will, his self-belief. Leigh Wood would not yield. He would be knocked down and beaten up. But that wouldn't be enough. He would keep coming. He would persevere. And I'm sure it will be months before his feet touch the ground again.
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