Leigh Wood successfully defended his WBA world featherweight title by stopping Josh Warrington in a heart-pounding contest at the Utilita Arena Sheffield despite facing a fierce assault from the British fighter
.Wood, who was clearly disturbed by Warrington's constant barrages, withstood some punishing blows over the course of several rounds in the first defense of his second reign as WBA champion.
Despite the cacophony of commotion, Wood maintained his calm and unleashed a series of perfect combinations, capping them off with a right to Warrington's temple and a left as he was falling.
At 126 pounds, Warrington was attempting to win three consecutive championships. Warrington got to his feet gamely but was unsteady, so referee Michael Alexander stopped the fight at the conclusion of the seventh round.
As Wood celebrated his most recent comeback victory to raise his record to 28 victories and three losses, Warrington argued the judgment before slapping his head on the referee's shoulder in gloomy defeat.
Wood, who said it was getting harder to get to 126 pounds, might move up to super-featherweight. The City Ground is where his beloved Nottingham Forest play.
While three years younger than his conqueror, Warrington's future is less certain after slumping to his third defeat in 35 bouts, including back-to-back losses world title fights in just under a year.
He bemoaned his hesitancy in the initial forays of his points loss to Luis Alberto Lopez that cost him his IBF belt last December, but the Yorkshireman could not be accused of being similarly sluggish out of the traps this time.
A charging left hook in an early burst earned the respect of Wood, who switched to a southpaw stance early on which seemed to briefly unsettle his rival, allowing the champion to grow into the fight with some decent combinations.
However, Warrington upped the tempo in the third, regularly backing up his opponent on the ropes and winging away with full-blooded left and right hooks. Towards the end of the round, a stinging right rocked Wood's head back and he returned to his seat with a welt underneath his right eye.
Wood, who constantly switched between orthodox and southpaw stances, soaked up plenty of left hooks which opened up a gash by the side of his right eye and his combination punching looked to be having little impact against Warrington.
Wood looked to be holding on as the one-way traffic continued into the fifth and sixth rounds and as the fight got it into the second half, it seemed he needed something special to hold on to his crown.
Less than two years on from a dramatic last-round knockout of Michael Conlan when he was behind on the cards, Wood again seized his opportunity shortly after Warrington had been deducted a point for punching round the back of the head.
A short right when Warrington was up against the ropes was the moment Wood was looking for and he spectacularly closed the show with pinpoint blows with both fists that sent his opponent tumbling to the floor.
Warrington got back to his feet midway through the count and walked unsteadily back to his corner with his back to the referee, who waved his arms to signal an end to an unforgettable fight.
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