Michael Conlan ‘all good’ after falling out of ring in loss to Leigh Wooden

Michael Conlan allayed issues about his well being after a clumsy tumble out of the ring in his dramatic Twelfth-round stoppage defeat to Leigh Wooden of their world title contest.

Conlan was up on all of the judges’ scorecards heading into the ultimate three minutes however a bruising proper hand led to him sagging towards the ropes earlier than going by means of them after his opponent adopted up with a livid flurry.

Referee Steve Grey was unable to intercept Conlan in time to stop a fall to the arduous flooring and Wooden’s emotional celebrations at retaining his WBA featherweight title grew to become muted as his rival was attended to by medics.

It was a worrying finish to a fight-of-the-year contender, with Conlan led out of Nottingham’s Motorpoint Area on a stretcher and brought to hospital earlier than he issued a reassuring replace on his situation within the early hours of Sunday morning.

He mentioned on his Instagram story: “I’m all good, I’m simply getting checked up within the hospital. The CT scan is all clear.

“Congrats to Leigh Wooden, congrats to his group, that was the most effective shot of the evening he received me with on the finish. However it’s what it’s, I’ll be again.”

He added on Twitter: “Positively desire a rematch lol.”

Many would welcome a return bout after an absorbing contest by which Wooden, making the primary defence of the title he gained by stopping Can Xu – additionally within the Twelfth spherical – in July final 12 months, rallied from being knocked down himself.

In Conlan, Wooden was going through a former novice standout who had gained gold on the World and European Championships and Olympic bronze at London 2012 and who had compiled knowledgeable resume of 16 wins from as many fights.

Conlan appeared odds-on to take care of his good report within the paid ranks as, having adopted a southpaw stance early into the struggle, a looping left hand put Wooden flat on his again within the closing few seconds of the opening spherical.

Wooden rose on unsteady legs and was arguably saved by the bell as a headline struggle in entrance of his hometown followers threatened to show bitter. Conlan, backed by a sizeable and vocal travelling assist in a boisterous ambiance, appeared far too slick early on for Wooden, who was buckled in each the second and third rounds.

Wooden regularly grew into the struggle and was capable of repeatedly power his foe on to the again foot even when he was vulnerable to Conlan’s left hooks, which the challenger used at will to cease the native lad in his tracks.

There have been some relentless exchanges within the seventh and significantly the eighth spherical, with each fighters having fun with some success though Wooden confirmed indicators of turning the tide as he rocked again Conlan’s head with a robust proper.

Conlan stored the struggle at a distance within the ninth and whereas Wooden responded effectively within the tenth, it was thought he nonetheless wanted an enormous end. He boosted his hopes within the eleventh with a left that momentarily floored Conlan, whose insistence he had slipped quite than being knocked over was neglected by Grey as he administered the eight-count.

If there was any controversy over the difficulty, it was rendered a moot level as Wooden closed the present in spectacular trend, one minute and 25 seconds into the final spherical. He was trailing by one level on two of the judges’ playing cards and three on the opposite however took the scoring out of the equation with a medical end.

Having years in the past watched fellow Nottingham fighter Carl Froch produce some memorable moments on the venue, Wooden (now 26-2, 16KOs) can now replicate on his personal momentous achievement – even when he felt unable to rejoice within the quick aftermath.

“Michael’s so powerful and I hope he’s alright,” an emotional Wooden mentioned afterwards.