3/12 DAZN: Leigh Wood vs Michael Conlan

[patscorpio]

Leigh Wood vs. Michael Conlan Now Official: March 12 in Nottingham

BY KEITH IDEC
Published Fri Jan 07, 2022, 11:17 AM EST


Leigh Wood will make the first defense of the WBA belt he surprisingly won five months ago on March 12 in his hometown.

Matchroom Boxing and DAZN jointly announced Friday that Wood’s mandatory defense of the WBA world featherweight title against Michael Conlan will take place at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England. The 33-year-old Wood will defend the WBA’s secondary featherweight title against Northern Ireland’s Conlan, the WBA’s number one contender in the 126-pound division.

Leo Santa Cruz (37-2-1, 19 KOs) remains the WBA’s “super” champion in the featherweight division, despite that he hasn’t competed at the 126-pound limit in nearly three years.


Wood (25-2, 15 KOs) upset China’s Can Xu (18-3, 3 KOs), who was a 4-1 favorite, by 12th-round technical knockout July 31 on the grounds of Matchroom’s headquarters in Brentwood, England. The new champion was ahead on all three scorecards – 107-102, 107-102 and 106-103 – when he dropped and stopped Xu with just 17 seconds to go in the final round.

Wood joined former IBF/WBA/WBC super middleweight champ Carl Froch as boxing’s only world champions from Nottingham. Just two fights earlier, Wood lost a 10-round majority decision to countryman James dikkens (then 28-3) in February 2020 at York Hall in London.

The 30-year-old Conlan (16-0, 8 KOs) produced perhaps his most impressive victory in his most recent appearance.

The 2016 Olympian out-boxed TJ Doheny in that 12-round fight for the WBA interim featherweight title August 6 at Falls Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Conlan’s hometown. Conlan dropped Doheny (22-3, 16 KOs) with a body shot in the fifth round and beat the Irish southpaw by big margins on all three scorecards – 119-108, 116-111 and 116-111.

The WBA since has eliminated all of its interim championships, but Conlan had already secured his title shot.


Conlan previously attempted to campaign in the junior featherweight division. He moved back up to the featherweight limit of 126 pounds, however, after only one bout as a 122-pound contender.

 

[The Ruler 09]

 

[LauderdaleBoss]

Wood by Brutal KO

Dudes sleep on him.

 

[chosenaledge13]

Wood by Brutal KO

Dudes sleep on him.

Nah, I like Wood but Conlan is a tough mf. I see a close fight w Wood coming out on top just bc of the slight edge in experience.

 

[LauderdaleBoss]

Nah, I like Wood but Conlan is a tough mf. I see a close fight w Wood coming out on top just bc of the slight edge in experience.

I feel you
Wood is the truth

I won money picking him to KO Xu Can. Conlan is hittable as fukk sometimes, so I think Wood can stop him.

 

[patscorpio]

 

[patscorpio]

Michael Conlan Not Worried About Judges in Leigh Wood Title Clash

BY BOXINGSCENE STAFF
Published Fri Mar 04, 2022, 02:29 AM EST


Olympian Michael Conlan, who is no stranger to controversial decisions, is not worried about the scorecards in his upcoming fight with WBA "regular" champion Leigh Wood.

Their showdown takes place next Saturday night in Nottingham.

Last weekend, undisputed junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor won a controversial twelve round split decision over Jack Catterall.

The British Boxing Board of Control is currently investigating the scoring of the contest.

“Selfishly, it probably happened at a good time leading into my fight,” Conlan said to The Independent. “It’s probably going to be a bit hard for it to happen now that has happened. I felt devastated for Jack Catterall, but in a selfish way it was better it happened then than for me.”

“I’m not worried about knocking anyone out or anything like that. If it comes, it comes. It quite possibly could come, but at the minute I’m just focused on being the best I can be and if I do that, no judge in the world could rob me of that, so I’m excited.”

The fight with Wood will have a mix of British and international officials.

Conlan was on the receiving end of a controversial decision in the Rio Olympics, where he was knocked off by Vladimir Nikitin in the quarter-finals.

Conlan admits there have been some very questionable scorecards in recent years in the UK.

Based on what recently happened in Taylor-Catterall, Conlan believes the boxing world will be watching the scorecards very closely when he faces Wood.

“If you look at the last few years of judging on these shores, you could say that. Why would any fighter want to come to the UK? Any foreign fighter who does is up against it," Conlan said.

“It’s become very tough to get a decision and that’s unfortunate. Hopefully with the eyes of the world watching with everything that has happened, I don’t have to flip the bird again and go crazy. I don’t think it will.”

 

[Megadeus]

I think this one's gonna be darn close

 

[patscorpio]

I think this one's gonna be darn close

the odds on bovada are close with conlan as the slight betting favorite

 

[Megadeus]

the odds on bovada are close with conlan as the slight betting favorite

yup same with fanduel. I like Bovada but they bushed it in my state

 

[patscorpio]

yup same with fanduel. I like Bovada but they bushed it in my state

yeah and fanduel is not available in mine lol

 

[patscorpio]

 

[The Ruler 09]

 

[Megadeus]

I deadazz might just put money on a draw

 

[chunky_mcdaniels]

Wood by Brutal KO

Dudes sleep on him.

Yeah i agree.

He has heavy hands for someone his size. Got pop like a super light/Welterweight.