A boxer knocked his opponent out the ring in the final round, rebounding from an early knockdown in the first

• A boxing event in England descended into chaos Saturday.
• Leigh Wood knocked Michael Conlan out of the ring, after rebounding from an early knockdown.

For many, even those who work in boxing and are used to its unserious, weird, and wild nature, Saturday proved thrilling, extraordinary, and then, ultimately, shocking.

Leigh Wood overcame a stunning first-round knockdown at the fists of Michael Conlan, an Irishman who boxed with authority throughout much of the fight.

But Wood rallied in front of his hometown fans in Nottingham, England, to conquer Conlan. First, with a knockdown in the final seconds of the 11th, before a shock knockout in the 12th.

Conlan looked like he was out cold before he even fell to the ground, and when he eventually collapsed, he did so by exiting the ring.

Conlan fell through the ropes, upside down, and looked like he would have banged his head on the hard floor.

It was a horrible injury to have while already suffering the live effects of a knockout.

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom Sport, said it was "the most dramatic fight" he "ever witnessed."

Watch the first-round knockdown right here:

As Conlan scored the early knockdown, he was 10-8 ahead after a single round.

As the fight wore on, he seemingly only added to his lead as he out-landed Wood by a ratio of three punches to one in the second, according to Compubox data sent to Insider.

He then out-landed Wood in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds.

Momentum only really shifted in the second half of the fight. And, clearly trailing on the scorecards, Wood needed something big to win.

But nobody will likely have imagined the disturbing chaos that was to come.

Watch Wood score his 11th round knockdown right here:

After overcoming the opening round knockdown, and by standing strong to an onslaught that could have felled lesser challengers, Wood showed tremendous mettle to have fought his way back into the bout.

He began the 12th round with a lit fire, looking to close the show.

Moments into it, he hit Conlan with a punch that did not look, on first look, to have been absurdly hard.

But it put Conlan out cold. Conlan was knocked unconscious before he even hit the deck.

As he fell backward, he disappeared through the ropes. He was then upside down, with his legs in the air, and must have hit his head hard on the floor outside of the ring.

Combat sports routinely deliver drama, but this looked like something else entirely.

And it could have been close to tragedy, as the ring announcer could be heard asking the crowd to clear space so medical professionals could carry Conlan out of the arena on a stretcher.

He was taken to hospital as Wood was announced as the fight's winner by way of knockout.

Matchroom CEO Frank Smith said: "Michael Conlan arrived at hospital, conscious and stable."

With victory, Wood advanced his pro boxing record to 26 wins (16 knockouts) against two losses.