Here's hoping for Leigh Wood versus Michael Conlan 2

Recently, on March 12, In Nottingham, England, Irish boxing star Mick Conlan (16-1, 8 KO’s) was set to go head-to-head with Leigh Wood in hopes of returning to the Emerald Isle with Wood’s WBA world featherweight title. The build-up to the fight had seen both fighters sounding and looking confident. However, sometimes talk is just that.

But, come fight night, after (almost) 12 rounds of back-and-forth warfare, champion Wood caught Conlan on the ropes and unleashed a combination that would catch the Belfast fighter and knock him out, sending him through the ropes, to end what was quickly being hailed as the “Fight of the Year”.

This one was a barn burner from start to finish with both fighters having their moments. Heavy drama, heavy action, and an unexpected and exciting ending. For fight fans, you couldn’t ask for much more.

For Wood, (26-2, 16 KO’s), this was the 2nd fight in a row that saw late fight heroics as he produced an upset to stop China’s Xu Can in the final round last year in his first world title fight.

Conlan looked like he might end it early as Wood was dominated early on, including being dropped in the 1st and taking a lot of follow-up punishment in the 2nd. But, he recovered to floor Conlan late in the 11th round and resumed his attack in the 12th, knocking Conlan out of the ring after catching him on the ropes and ending it with a crushing right.

There was immediate concern for Conlan after the fight, but a post-fight medical examination showed no signs of serious injury; good news to all involved.

One of the great backdrops to the story was the atmosphere in the Nottingham Arena that night. While this was a home game for Wood, Conlan certainly had his share of supporters during the slug fest. And, by fight’s end, both men had earned the respect of every single person in the room, regardless of whom they were initially cheering for.  

Canadian cut man Russ Anber, perhaps boxing’s most in-demand hand wrap specialist, has worked with many of boxing’ biggest stars and has been in his fair share of legendary arenas for some of the sport’s biggest bouts.

MaxBoxing caught up with Anber, at his home in Montreal, to get his thoughts on the fighters, the electric atmosphere and the fight many are calling out as boxing’s slam dunk for best bout of 2022.  

“It was a great fight, Bill, that is for sure,” said Anber. “However, you have to remember I am working and totally focused on my fighter so I don’t see or feel all the drama that I might see as a fan because I’m not there as fan," he said.

As to the crowd, Anber said it might have been slightly in Wood’s favor, but Conlan certainly had his supporters.

“The crowd may have favored Wood a bit because it was in his home arena. But, Conlan had a lot of supporters there, lots of his fans made the trip over to support him," he said. 

As for a rematch?

“Does anybody think that fight doesn’t demand an immediate rematch”, said Anber. “I mean, c’mon, Conlan is 90 seconds away from a world title win, he is ahead on the cards and he gets caught. That can happen, it’s boxing”, he said. “But, if there was ever a fight that deserves a rematch, and fans would love to see, this is the fight."