Nottingham boxer Leigh Wood produced a stunning performance at The Motorpoint Arena earlier this month and in doing so put his home city well and truly back on the map.
The Commonwealth Featherweight champion successfully defended his title against Ryan Doyle on Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom show. Remarkably, it was almost six years since Nottingham hosted such an event. SKY TV provided exclusive coverage of the JD Sports NXTGEN extravaganza and it proved to be a big hit in more ways than one.
Following the retirement of Carl Froch, the locals have been starved of such nights at the home of the Nottingham Panthers, but thanks to the ability, professionalism and showmanship of Wood, we can expect more of the same sooner than later.
It’s almost a second coming for Leigh, who’s now being managed by Dave Coldwell and reunited with former trainer Ian Grant. After a frustrating period under his former management he’s not only injury free but is earning the calibre of fights that his talent has warranted.
On Friday 10th May I arrived at the arena early to take advantage of the decent undercard, what struck me straight away was the wave of anticipation and excitement among the ever-swelling crowd. It was akin to the mind of a young child on Christmas eve, but one that hadn’t received a present since 2012.
Wood entered the ring to the poignancy of Dirty Money’s “I’m coming home” soundtrack, a more fitting tune you could not wish to hear on such a special night.
As the bell sounded for round one the hometown boy looked a little tentative, but despite Doyle taking centre of the ring for most of the opening three minutes Wood landed more shots and edged ahead early doors. For those who weren’t in attendance, that was the closest that the challenger would get to the Nottingham man all evening. The next nine rounds can only be described as dominant and comprehensive in favour of the reigning champion.
Those early facets of pressure and expectancy of performing in front of his home crowd quickly dissipated as Wood cast off the shackles and worked his way through the gears with real quality. Round by round the Gedling boxer landed some heavy shots on his opponent.
The crowd were loving every moment of it too, at times it felt like the City Ground as a catalogue of Nottingham Forest chants reverberated throughout the arena. This was music to the ears of Leigh Wood, himself a genuine Reds supporter and a man who proudly displays the club’s crest on his shorts whenever he goes into battle. Such is Leigh’s affinity with his football club, the Nottingham Forest chairman Nicholas Randall QC was ringside to reciprocate the support.
In round five Wood really turned the screw and asserted himself upon Doyle, who looked physically hurt in the process, suffering a bloodied nose for his troubles. Wood successfully switched between orthodox and southpaw with absolute cohesion as he landed a volley of shots at the ropes before finishing with big left hand at the bell.
The question on the lips of the thousands inside the Motorpoint Arena was not if, but when would the champion would knock out his challenger. Ryan Doyle suffered more injuries, this time to his left eye. However, to his credit, the Manchester fighter stood tall and refused to go quietly. In stark contrast, Leigh Wood looked virtually unscathed, the absence of injury to his body made it look like he’d been jogging through Gedling country park as opposed to the latter rounds of a Commonwealth title fight.
Then came the perfect ending as Wood produced a stunning knock out in round ten. Despite taking his foot off the gas in the previous round it only led Doyle into a false sense of security, and what a finish it was. Wood threw a right to knock his opponent off balance, followed up with some quick-fire shots against the ropes before unleashing a beautiful left hook to end the contest in style.
Eddie Hearn was full of praise and hinted at a return to the arena with Leigh Wood at the top of the bill, “we’ve been waiting six years to come back to Nottingham, this City’s got a fighter who can headline major shows” said Hearn.
And, who wouldn’t have been impressed by the Gedling man in his first defence of the Commonwealth belt? Wood not only showed the nation’s viewers that he’s an outstanding boxer but also that he has the skill set to compete at european and possibly world title level in the future.
Hearn also went on to say, “boxing has a big future in Nottingham again and it’s all because of Leigh Wood!” Solid proof that the 30-year-old, with those lightning fast hands, has brought back that loving feeling to the City he loves so much.
Written by Steve Corry