Round-by-Round: Xu Can vs. Leigh Wood - 31 July 2021

[Offthehook]

how many people really think 'well i'll sit and watch boxing for a few hours, because a couple minutes during the broadcast i get to see a fully clothed bird talk'

Why don't they have Kate Abdo, she does Dazn US boxing coverage? She does football in UK for CBS.

Kate lovely, so much make up thou.

What was wrong with the original woman they used the blonde with the glasses?

[Dioufy]

Good card tbh.
Jack Cullin looked good beat a poor Yildirum. I had it 97/93 but one judge give all rounds to Cullen. God knows. And I’m from Great Lever, around the corner from him.
I had the Smith fight bang level; no issue with either man getting it. Would watch a rematch.
Hatton looks so raw it’s unreal; he needs more fights against bums but maybe push him up to 6 rounds so he might relax into a fight more.
I had no interest in the Fowler fight… against either Garcia or this drag queen who tbf give it a go. Comms kept saying he went close over 10 with Ponce who blasted up Ritson. They forgot to that that fight was at a stone lower in weight.
Good fight with Smith coming up though.
I was way too drunk to score the Wood fight but Can looked terrible. I even told my wife about his supposed punch output; I was expecting a GGG type figure. But no. We got a fat, slow come forward clueless fighter that didn’t impress at all.
Bogus title.
I’d watch Leigh vs the winner of Dickens/Galahad.
Good card.
After the shit we have been served up.
No one can complain.
Btw how fit is Laura Woods… I just want to make love to her so much.

[Ruthless-RKO]

how many people really think 'well i'll sit and watch boxing for a few hours, because a couple minutes during the broadcast i get to see a fully clothed bird talk'

Why don't they have Kate Abdo, she does Dazn US boxing coverage? She does football in UK for CBS.

Pretty sure Kate Abdo is PBC mate

No one knows mate, she moves around so much.

I did last see her on PBC.

[tony1234]

Has this card trended much on Brit twitter? I'm looking at the Irish one and it hasn't at all really. Sky shows used to.

Not an important metric but I doubt we get viewing figures. This is where all these influencers come in but not sure it works like that.

Nope, didn’t trend at all.

Of the four close friends I have who follow boxing none of them have DAZN or watched the show.

And the IPTV messenging group I am in which always has people asking where best to watch the fight and discussing the fights on Sky and to a lesser extent BT, was silent last night.

I forgot all about it, would have watched it on SKY but a lot of fuss to have another subscription. At least SKY reminds you and it's not paying for another sub especially for a card with the main event missing

[handsofstone]

DAZN and Campbell Hatton we're both trending last night

[JamesPhilips]

DAZN and Campbell Hatton we're both trending last night

How many of the Hatton posts were slating Campbell though?

[Ruthless-RKO]

DAZN and Campbell Hatton we're both trending last night

How many of the Hatton posts were slating Campbell though?

Wood was trending too. As was Davison.

[handsofstone]

DAZN and Campbell Hatton we're both trending last night

How many of the Hatton posts were slating Campbell though?

Nearly every one, that's why he needs to be plying his trade on NXT GEN shows

[Ruthless-RKO]

DAZN and Campbell Hatton we're both trending last night

How many of the Hatton posts were slating Campbell though?

Nearly every one, that's why he needs to be plying his trade on NXT GEN shows

Aren’t those shows finished?

[peter barlow]

DAZN and Campbell Hatton we're both trending last night

How many of the Hatton posts were slating Campbell though?

Wood was trending too. As was Davison.

That's good at least. For a while you'd start to think MMA was taking all the attention, competitive cards every week UFC. It's not great for me but it is on BT and takes attention.

Even Bellator is being shown on BBC red button and Virgin media in Ireland. Yeah nobodys probably watching but it's more accessible than Dazn.

[handsofstone]

How many of the Hatton posts were slating Campbell though?

Nearly every one, that's why he needs to be plying his trade on NXT GEN shows

Aren’t those shows finished?

Pretty sure I heard last night they'll be back mate

[THEBUTCH]

Massive respect to Leigh wood

Superb performance. Outstanding !

He out-everythinged Can

Wood reeled off some beautiful combinations and also tricked Can so many times with feints and false-starts before banging in a surprise uppercut or body shot. A joy to watch.

We all know the WBA are possibly the biggest farce going, but that was a great win for Leigh. His composure and imagination in constantly switching his punches were fabulous

[Foggy]

So is he actually the only WBA featherweight champion there is or do we have a super champion above him?

[Ruthless-RKO]

So is he actually the only WBA featherweight champion there is or do we have a super champion above him?

Leo Santa Cruz is Super champion.

[THEBUTCH]

According to the WBA Wood will be the "world" champion because there is a "Super" champion.

There's barely a weight division that doesn't have a "super" champion. Absolutely ridiculous

[Ruthless-RKO]

According to the WBA Wood will be the "world" champion because there is a "Super" champion.

There's barely a weight division that doesn't have a "super" champion. Absolutely ridiculous

The ‘world’ champion is basically their regular champion.

As long as there is a super champion in that division, the regular, interim, gold etc. Don’t matter.

[Foggy]

According to the WBA Wood will be the "world" champion because there is a "Super" champion.

There's barely a weight division that doesn't have a "super" champion. Absolutely ridiculous

The ‘world’ champion is basically their regular champion.

As long as there is a super champion in that division, the regular, interim, gold etc. Don’t matter.

Cruz hasn’t defended that belt in 2 years

[Ruthless-RKO]

According to the WBA Wood will be the "world" champion because there is a "Super" champion.

There's barely a weight division that doesn't have a "super" champion. Absolutely ridiculous

The ‘world’ champion is basically their regular champion.

As long as there is a super champion in that division, the regular, interim, gold etc. Don’t matter.

Cruz hasn’t defended that belt in 2 years

Yeh I know.. why he’s even still champion? I don’t know.

[Foggy]

The ‘world’ champion is basically their regular champion.

As long as there is a super champion in that division, the regular, interim, gold etc. Don’t matter.

Cruz hasn’t defended that belt in 2 years

Yeh I know.. why he’s even still champion? I don’t know.

Actually just checked again it’s 29 months he’s not defended it and won the same title in the above division and how the hell can you fight for the vacant super title

[jameswilson]

Cruz hasn’t defended that belt in 2 years

Yeh I know.. why he’s even still champion? I don’t know.

Actually just checked again it’s 29 months he’s not defended it and won the same title in the above division

I think the wba rankings still have him as the super champ. Even tho as you say every other body would have stripped either for losing a fight or not defending in so long,

[Foggy]

I feel for Wood, great achievement but will always be overlooked because of this bizarre situation, well in my eyes I don’t see him as the champ

[THEBUTCH]

And that applies to an ever increasing list of 'regular' WBA world champions. I've been at the stage for some time where I think a WBA title is not really worth contesting

Wood's win was still a terrific achievement and even without the belt on the line beating Can in that manner would fully entitle Leigh to be jubilant and emotional at the end

[Ruthless-RKO]

Leigh Wood Has No Problem if Xu Can Exercises Rematch Clause

Despite all the post-fight talk of bringing big-time boxing back to Nottingham, Leigh Wood might have to travel when he next steps in the ring due to the rematch clause in his contract to fight Xu Can.

Wood pulled off a big upset to stop Can in the final round at Fight Camp on Saturday night to claim the WBA “regular” featherweight title and happily told reporters that he hoped it would lead to a fight at the City Ground, home stadium of Nottingham Forest.

The rematch clause makes that unlikely, although Wood said he would not mind if he had to go to China for the rematch.

“No problem,” Wood said. “I had six weeks’ notice for this fight. With a 12-week camp, let’s do it again.”

By the time Wood had got back to his changing room at Fight Camp after being crowned WBA featherweight title, it was past midnight, which meant he had just turned 33. It might not be the most conspicuous landmark birthday, but it was one Wood will never forget.

He had been handpicked by Can’s promoters Golden Boy as the opponent to help Can shake off some ring rust having not boxed since 2019. It proved to be a poor choice as Wood dominated Can throughout.

Wood only became a British champion in February after nearly a decade as a professional. “A life-changing night,” was how Eddie Hearn put it.

Wood had only been given six weeks’ notice for the fight, but worked out a plan with his trainer, Ben Davison, and it worked to perfection. It continued a remarkable run for Davison, the trainer of Josh Taylor, the undisputed world super-lightweight champion, who has not trained a boxer for a defeat since 2016.

“I was stood with Ben when I got the message offering me the fight,” Wood said. “Ben just said ‘we can win this fight’. It took about three minutes to say yes.

“It was down to the gameplan. I worked on it day in, day out, even last night and I got text messages before the fight, just to remind me what I need to do. It is down to those guys, I had full belief in them, and full cinfdence in going out and doing it. It is just part of the process, little paragraphs I need to remember, key points.”

If the Xu rematch dies not happen for some reason, a fight against the winner of Saturday’s IBF featherweight fight between Kid Galahad – a former gym-mate of Wood – and Jazza Dickens – who beat Wood 18 months ago – or Josh Warrington, if he wins he rematch with Mauricio Lara on September 4.

“I tell you what, they are coming to Nottingham,” Wood said.

The last time big-time boxing happened in Nottingham was during the heyday of Carl Froch, who was in the crowd on Saturday night cheering on a man who was twice on his undercards at Nottingham Arena – two very different night for Wood.

“I was supposed to box on the Lucian Bute bill, but I was the floater, and the Carl Frampton fight (with Raul Hirales) went too long and I never got on,” Wood said. “But I the boxed on the Yusaf Mack bill.

“It was brilliant, because when they brought me out the place was packed. It was a great experience of boxing in front of a massive home crowd.

“I was devastated on the Bute night. It was terrible, I warmed up three times and didn’t fight. But when I saw Carl after he won, it was a great night.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Judges scorecards at the time of stoppage

Raul Caiz Jr 107-102
Robert Hoyle 106-103
Bob Williams 107-102

in favour of 'Leigh-thal'

[garethhop]

Judges scorecards at the time of stoppage

Raul Caiz Jr 107-102
Robert Hoyle 106-103
Bob Williams 107-102

in favour of 'Leigh-thal'

Thanks, so with a knockdown, we were looking at 117-110 x 2 and 116-111 which was the minimum Leigh deserved. God knows what the commentators and Bellew thought they were watching.