By: Hans Themistode
Michael Conlan has always dreamed of becoming a world champion. With about a minute and 30 seconds remaining on the clock in his first championship gold medal against WBA featherweight second-placer Leigh Wood, Conlan was just steps away from the finish line.
However, when Conlan started to look away from the prize, Wood made him pay. Desperate to extend his world title reign and drop slightly on all three judges’ scorecards, Wood threw everything he had into the hands of the former Olympic athlete in the final two innings.
Wood’s comeback began on the 11th, when he scored his first knockdown of the night. In the next frame, with Conlan pinned to the rope, Wood connects on a sharp straight right hand seeing Conlan’s body instantly go limp. Wood would then launch a series of unanswered hits until Conlan’s motionless body was flung off the ring.
Having had the opportunity to replay his first loss in his career, Conlan revealed that he has nothing but homage to his elder brother. However, he is currently looking for a chance to redeem himself.
“Having seen the match, I definitely need to rerun it,” Conlan said on his social media account. “The 11th card & kick was a miss, tired kick and I was booked with a good shot that I didn’t see. Please respect Leigh Wood. ”
Initially, Conlan could not have asked for a better start to their game last night at Nottingham Arena. Conlan beat his man in the weak seconds of the opening round and will go on to mostly beat the second list in the long games.
However, despite Conlan enjoying his moments of success, Wood refused to give up. He kept pushing Conlan back and forcing him to work inside. His relentless pressure comes in handy during championship rounds, when Conlan seems to be fuming.
In the end, defeat for Conlan was a hard pill to swallow. Judge Leszek Jankowiak gave the former Olympic athlete a three-point boost to advance to the final round, awarding a score of 105-102. Referees Guillermo Perez Pineda and Bob Williams also gave Conlan a slight lead, bringing in identical scorecards of 104-103 in injury time.
As Wood’s head bounced off the tarp in the first round, Conlan continued to injure the featherweight champion at various points throughout the night. While sad about how things ended up going after his strong start, Conlan will offer no excuses. Instead, the former Olympus athlete simply showed off his hat to his teammate as he made his case for the pair to share the ring again.
“Congratulations again, you’re a tough guy but run it back.”
