Maxboxing 2022 KO of the Year - Leigh Wood vs. Michael Conlan

It was a roaring Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England on March 12 of 2022, that would provide the setting, setup, and execution for one of the best knockouts of the year.

It was a fight that would see the winner walk away as the WBA (regular) featherweight champion. Throughout the fight, both boxers had their moments of strength and struggle in a back-and-forth affair that had the packed arena exploding.

Conlon dropped Wood in the very 1st round and pressed hard to finish him in the first couple of frames, but Wood held tough. By the 3rd round, Wood had Conlon cut and one was wondering if that would play a factor as the exchanges were fast and furious throughout.

Despite the fight being in England, as opposed to Ireland, both fighters had a lot of very vocal supporters. The rounds ticked away and the ferocity of the fight never wavered as the two boxers waged war.

Late in round 11, in a very close fight, Woods evened up the knockdowns by dropping Conlon. He didn’t appear hurt, was up quickly, and tried, in vain, to argue it was a slip.

Both fighters were looking to close the show and steal the win on what would be very tight scorecards. However, a fast and accurate combination froze Conlon who slumped back and fell through the ropes. Wood had scored a dramatic, come-from-behind KO to capture the win in a fantastic all-action battle.

There were some great fights this past year that ended in knockouts. However, for setting back-and-forth action and show closing drama, MaxBoxing is going with Leigh Wood’s 12th round KO of Michael Conlon as ‘Knockout of the Year’.

Follow up

Leigh Wood (26-2, 16 KOs) did not box again in 2022 and fans should look for a title fight from him in the first quarter of 2023.

Mick Conlon (18-1, 9 KOs) was in the ring 2 more times in 2022. He picked up a UD 10 win in August over former world title challenger Miguel Marriaga. Then, he returned on the 10th of December to stop France’s Karim Guerfi in 1 round. There is talk of matching him up with recent IBF World featherweight title winner Luis Alberto Lopez, which would be a great battle.