There were scary moments after Michael Conlan was knocked out by Leigh Wood earlier today in Nottingham, England, with DAZN cameras never showing the Irish fighter after he was punched clean through the ropes and out of the ring in the 12th and final round, and only word that paramedics were attending to him, and then later, that he was thankfully conscious and stable at a hospital.
Conlan has since updated everyone on his status, and the good news is it looks like he’s in the clear — and he also wants a rematch with Wood, whom he congratulated on a victory in a brilliant fight:
Im all good folks, cheers for the messages. Ill be back, good shot and congrats to Leigh and his team.
— Michael Conlan (@mickconlan11) March 13, 2022
Definitely want a rematch lol
— Michael Conlan (@mickconlan11) March 13, 2022
The 30-year-old Conlan (16-1, 8 KO) came in with both skeptics and believers today. He was the betting favorite, but three of our four staffers picked Wood to win the fight, because Conlan has been sort of inconsistent fight-to-fight as a pro, and even round-by-round in some outings.
But the Irish star and former Olympian may have shown more in defeat than he has in victory. Wood (26-2, 16 KO) was dropped hard late in the first round, and Conlan looked like he was on his way to a possibly dominant victory. But the home fighter held his ground, clawed his way back into what became an increasingly outstanding battle, and scored the remarkable comeback knockout in that final round.
Through it all, both fighters were landing hard shots, wearing one another down, and battling with everything they had. Wood came out on top, but I don’t think much of anybody would argue with seeing these two run it back after that battle.
It’s good to hear Conlan is doing well, and hopefully we see him back in action soon enough. Congratulations and thank you to both of these fighters for a main event we won’t soon forget.