UPDATE: Frank Smith of Matchroom says Conlan was “conscious and stable” when he arrived at the hospital..
Lee Wood scored one of the most dramatic, incredible comeback knockouts you’ll ever see tonight, rushing back to stop Michael Conlan in the 12th and final round of their main event in Nottingham, England.
It was a really incredible fight: Conlan looked absolutely great for most of the fight, knocking Wood down hard at the end of the first round and owning the ring for most of the first even rounds.
But because Wood stubbornly refused to give up the fight, no matter how many good punches Conlan landed to the head and body, the fight went on, with both fighters exhausted and showing signs of war in the final rounds.
Conlan (16-1, 8 KOs) was knocked down at the end of the 11th round, and then injured and knocked out through the ropes and flew out of the ring around the middle of the 12th round. The fight was immediately stopped, and it quickly became clear that he was really worried about Conlan.
Conlan was reportedly eventually carried out on a stretcher, though there were some reports of him staying awake and in charge backstage.
Like Lee Wood and promoter Eddie Hearn in their post-fight comments, for now, we’ll just say it was a great fight, an amazing display of both men’s heart and passion, and all the best to Michael Conlan and his family.
Wood vs. Conlan Highlights
Caoimhin Agyarco UD-10 Juan Carlos Rubio
Not a performance indicator for middleweight prospect Agyarko (11-0, 7 KOs) that will catch the eye of many, but a solid 10 rounds for him as he more and more adjusts to Rubio’s southpaw style (18-2, KOs). 9 KOs) as the fight went on and won by a convincing and clear decision.
The judges had 98-92, 100-90 and 100-90. Bad Left Hook had a 99-91 for Agyarko, who seemed to have a chance to finish in the eighth round as he rocked Rubio quite well, but failed to fully capitalize and decided not to blow himself up in pursuit of a finish with Rubio shows that he is able to survive and hold on to avoid danger.
Terry Harper UD-10 Yamila Abellaneda
Harper (12-1-1, 6 KOs) did everything but stop, heavily dominating Abellaneda (13-5-1, 3 KOs) and taking three cards from the judges 99-91. Bad Left Hook had a full shutout, 100-90 in favor of Harper.
The 25-year-old Harper was last seen in November when she – let’s not skimp – was destroyed by Alicia Baumgardner, losing her WBC 130-pound world title. For that, she moved up to lightweight and looked fit and strong, and had to deal with a rather nasty cut that her angle did a good job of limiting in terms of the impact it had on the fight.
“This is just a new start for me, I wanted to come in and get the rounds. I don’t have enough experience, and these are the fights I need, ”Harper said after the victory. “It was my first cut and I had to learn how to deal with it in the ring tonight. This year I need to be just a school year.”
Asked more specifically about her plans, Harper said she would take a week off and return to the gym before heading to the US to watch Taylor vs. Serrano in April and will try to stay busy this year.
Promoter Eddie Hearn floated the idea that Harper would let the cut heal and then possibly rethink the Heather Hardy fight that was originally scheduled for tonight.
Gary Callie KO-5 Miguel Vazquez
To be fair, the 35-year-old Vasquez (44-11, 17 KOs) looked shot through here, but don’t discount the fact that Callie (14-0, 8 KOs) did the right thing. The 26-year-old Irish southpaw looked witty, used his length well enough to his advantage – 6ft 2in lightweights are a rarity – and when he seemed to sense the former IBF title holder didn’t have much in the tank, he went for this.
Vazquez lost in the third, got injured late in the fourth, and then knocked out early in the fifth. It might be for him at that level, really. He looked noticeably slower and squeakier than when he was robbed against Lewis Ritson in 2020 or against Ohara Davis in 2019. be enough gas in the tank to fight at a lower level at home in Mexico, as he did a couple of times last year. It could also just be a bad night, a bad camp, just no legs, whatever. I hesitate to fully recount it due to another night of spoilers or three.
However, Callie can be very pleased with the style of this win. That’s a lot more than Davis or Ritson did against the cunning old man.
Erica Farias SD-10 Sandy Ryan
Ryan, 23, took a big risk by taking a huge step forward in her fourth fight, taking on former two-weight world title holder Farias, and the result didn’t pay off. Farias split the cards 95-94 and 97-94 in her favor, while Ryan got another card 97-93. Bad Left Hook was 96-93 in favor of Farias, who dubiously took off a point from referee Kevin Parker in the 10th and final round, but to be fair, Parker warned her several times for doing so. At least it was consistent.
Ryan (3-1, 2 KOs) has nothing to be ashamed of here, he just has something to work on. She can fight; here she held tight with Farias (27-5, 10 KOs) who lost three matches in a row, but two of them were to Jessica McCaskill, who went on to become the undisputed welterweight champion, and one to Michaela Maier, who is among the best women in sports regardless of the weight category. And she pushed McCaskill hard both times at 140 pounds.
It’s a big event for Farias, she keeps her name, breaks her losing streak and she did it on the road against her favorite home fighter. This is what we might see again; Ryan’s team might try to do it immediately, or they might give her a little more seasoning and try to do it again later this year, early next year. And it was also a good fight, competitive in almost every round.