Leigh Wood has retained his WBA featherweight title courtesy of a seventh-round stoppage of Josh Warrington, a result that does not tell the whole story.
In a white-hot atmosphere in Sheffield where supporters from Nottingham and Leeds had descended, Warrington was well on course to upsetting the odds and becoming a three-time world champion.
However, well behind on all three scorecards, Wood dramatically stopped Warrington in the seventh, landing a counter right before a devastating combination floored the challenger.
Although Warrington got back to his feet, despondent in the corner, the referee opted to call a halt to the bout with Wood able to further cement his legacy as one of the unlikely success stories in British boxing.
There has always been a vulnerability about Wood, highlighted by his points loss to Jazza Dickens in February 2020, being floored by Michael Conlan in March 2022 and stopped by Mauricio Lara less than a year later.
That perception was strengthened in the first half of the fight on Saturday night, with Warrington regularly beating Wood to the punch and looking capable of stopping the champion.
All the angles of THAT @itsLeighWood knockout 🎥#WoodWarrington pic.twitter.com/gY8ftjKupF
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) October 7, 2023
At the start of round seven, Warrington was 58-56, 59-55 and 59-55 to the good, and there was no sign from Wood that he was capable of the kind of finish that was to come.
As Warrington edged forward, he walked onto a spiteful counter right, staggering him and rendering him powerless to prevent further shots from putting him to the canvas.
Warrington valiantly got to his feet, disorientated but taking stock slumped against the ropes in his corner, but the referee waved off the fight, much to his frustration.
That was a judgement call, with the argument being that Warrington had earned the right to show that he was capable of surviving the few seconds that remained in the round, yet the manner of the knockdown gave the referee reason to protect the fighter.
Wood will now vacate his world title, choosing to move up to 130lbs, and his return fight will be the City Ground in Nottingham, with the smart money being on a rematch with Warrington at a different weight unless he can secure an immediate chance to become a two-weight world champion.
Darren Plant
