Recent Hall of Fame inductee, Carl Froch, has revealed what he believes to be the fight of the year as 2022 comes to a close.
The former unified super-middleweight champion was speaking ringside where Josh Warrington lost his IBF title to Luis Alberto Lopez, and believes that another featherweight contest was worthy of the best of the year.
The 45-year-old explained that his pick was his fellow Nottingham Forest supporter, Leigh Wood, for his sensational victory over Michael Conlan.
Wood stopped the Irishman in the twelfth round in his hometown at the Motorpoint Arena. Conlan looked to be winning the fight and therefore the WBA (Regular) title, which was up for grabs, until a dramatic and brutal knockout from Wood in the final round. It sent Conlan out the ring and snatched the belt back from the previously undefeated fighter’s grasp.
Froch spoke about the fight to Boxing Social.
“It’s got to be Leigh Wood, against [Michael] Conlan, because that fight was great. That was such a good fight and I thought he was going to lose.
He probably would have just lost on points, maybe with a knockdown it would have been close. That was one hell of a comeback win, in Nottingham and I was there sitting ringside, commentating on it.
I’ve not been that excited this year, there’s been some good fights, but for me that is the one.”
Nowadays, Leigh Wood is on the verge of a huge fight with one of two Mexicans. The WBA ordered a fight between Wood and Leo Santa Cruz back in April, with the WBA Super world title on the line, but a fight is yet to materialise.
Instead, there are rumours swirling that Wood may face the dangerous power-puncher, Mauricio Lara, who brutally knocked out Josh Warrington last year.
Wood and Lara were scheduled to fight in September, but an injury to Wood meant it was cancelled, however it now seems that could be back on.
As for Conlan, he has returned to Ireland and fought twice since his maiden defeat and this weekend secured a first-round knockout victory over Karim Guerfi.
There is no doubt that Conlan would relish a chance to avenge his defeat to Wood and it is a fight that the public would surely love too.