WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood 28-3 (17) retained his world title with a come-from-behind seventh-round knockout of former two-time IBF 126-pound champion Josh Warrington 31-3-1 (8) at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England on Saturday night.
The 32-year-old Warrington from Leeds was considered past his best going in to the fight as his recent record of 1-2-1 across the past four years seemed to indicate. But when the first bell rang Warrington showed he had come to fight, outhustling the champion and befuddling him with his speed.
Nottingham’s Wood, 35, boxed southpaw for large sections of the early going but regardless of which stance he attacked from, Warrington had his measure. The left hook to the body and head was a particularly potent weapon for Warrington, who had Wood cut over the right eye from a punch in the fourth.
But as we have come to expect from Wood, he displayed his patented never-say-die attitude. Warrington was docked a point early in the seventh for punching to the back of the head, but it didn’t seem to take him off his game. The complexion of the fight changed dramatically when the 10-second clapper sounded to indicate the end of the round was approaching.
Wood launched a two-fisted assault on Warrington, visibly hurting him and landing another couple of blows to his head as he was crumpling to the canvas. The bell sounded and Warrington made it to his feet only to reel around the ring, forcing referee Michael Alexander to wave off the contest.
Wood was down 56-58 and 55-59 twice on the judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage.
Before the fight Wood admitted that Warrington had had the better career to date, but said that come Saturday that would all change.
“Josh has had some really good wins, possibly better than me,” Wood said. “It’s gonna be an electric atmosphere on Saturday night, one I’m expecting to be the best I’ve ever witnessed, especially in my ring walk.
“Sold more tickets than we’ve ever sold and so it’s gonna be a great night, definitely one that will go down in history. And talking about history, you know, I wanna be remembered as one of the best featherweights from this country and one of the best fighters from my own city.”
Wood is now expected to move up in weight with a potential fight against promotional stablemate and IBF super featherweight champion Joe Cordina 16-0 (9) a possibility.
The 31-year-old Welshman delivered an early candidate for fight of the year when he outpointed Tajikistan southpaw Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov 17-1-1 (14) by split decision in April. It was his first defence of the title he won by second-round knockout over Kenichi Ogawa 28-2-1 (19) of Japan in June last year.
Cordina will be back in action next month when he faces American Edward Vazquez 15-1 (3) at Casino de Monte Carlo Salle Medecin in Monte Carlo on November 4.
