Leigh Wood upset the odds to stop Can Xu in the final round following a brilliant boxing display where he hardly put a foot wrong. After only competing at British level throughout his career, Wood was thought to be up against it versus Xu but it was clear from the opening bell that he belonged on the big stage.
In the opening stanzas, Wood used his jab brilliantly as he prevented Xu from getting into any sort of rhythm. Whenever the Chinese fighter did let his hands go, Wood matched his output and it was the Nottingham fighter who was always getting the last word.
As the fight entered the cliched championship rounds, Xu tried to put his foot down as he felt his crown slipping but he would pay for that approach in a memorable last session. A superb right hand dropped Xu and after rising to his feet, Wood wasted no time in forcing the stoppage.
“I want the biggest fight possible,” said Wood afterwards. “I want to test myself. I said last year that there's three things I want to do and that’s win the British title, win the world title, and those boxes are ticked. The only thing left to do is to be the first person to headline at the City Ground.”
For a full recap of all tonight's action, please read below.