Leigh Wood retained his world featherweight belt after withstanding an almighty onslaught from Josh Warrington and then producing a stunning stoppage in the seventh round in what was a pulsating clash at the Utilita Arena Sheffield.
Wood is currently in his second reign as the WBA champion, and this was the first defence against Warrington. The challenger was relentless in his pursuit of the belt and dished out devasting blows to Wood who deserves huge credit for staying on his feet throughout the barrage of strikes.
Wood stuck in there and once Warrington had seemingly exhausted himself, the champion moved in for the kill and hit his opponent with a crushing right hand to the temple before catching Warrington with a left as he was crashing down to the canvas.
Warrington was hopeful of becoming a three-time champion in his weight class and was determined to continue despite the devastating shots from Wood, but referee Michael Alexander waved off the contest at the very end of the seventh round.
Wood’s record now sits at 28 wins and three defeats, and he struck an ecstatic yet relieved man once the referee signalled his decision. Warrington tried his best to protest the stoppage but the image of him dropping his head on the referee’s shoulder told the story.
Wood clearly struggled with the weight-cut down to 126lb and the understanding is that he may move up to super-featherweight for his next bout which could be staged at the City Ground- home of Wood’s beloved Nottingham Forest.
For Warrington, the future is uncertain and having now lost back-to-back title fights in less than a year his champion credentials have taken another hit.
What the man from Leeds can be proud of though is the performance that he delivered over the six rounds that he controlled and being part of one of the bouts of the year. Where he goes from here is anyone’s guess, but his stock remains intact.
