<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="576793" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Anthony-Joshua">Anthony Joshua</keyword> vs. <keyword id="867422" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tyson-Fury">Tyson Fury</keyword> super-fight, should it be made, might not even happen in the UK.</li><li>The CEO of Matchroom <keyword id="6362171" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Boxing">Boxing</keyword>, which represents Joshua, told Insider that the bout is so big it is generating global interest.</li><li>Top Rank founder Bob Arum, who looks after Fury, told Insider earlier this year that it was really only between the UK and the US, as regular fights elsewhere — particularly the Middle East — "kills the sport."</li><li>Arum has recently changed his mind, though, and said he is exploring opportunities in the Middle East as well as China.</li></ul>LONDON — A fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship, one contested between two British fighters, might not even take place in the UK.A high-stakes and lucrative showdown between the hulking WBA, WBO, and IBF world champion Anthony Joshua and the technically-adept WBC heavyweight world titleholder Tyson Fury could happen in 2021.But where it takes place remains unclear because the fight is so big, those involved in making it are expecting global offers."That fight will have global interest from sites all around the world," <keyword id="1311196" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Frank-Smith">Frank Smith</keyword>, the CEO of Matchroom Boxing — the firm which represents Joshua — told Insider recently."A lot of people want to see that in London but we'll have to wait and see where it ends up."Ahead of Fury's most recent fight, a stunning stoppage win over Deontay Wilder in February, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fury-vs-joshua-should-not-be-in-saudi-arabia-2020-2?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insider spoke to Fury's promoter Bob Arum</a> in Las Vegas.Arum told us that event organizers owe it to fans to hold the fight in the UK or the USA. "If we care about this sport and want to see it grow, then the fight should take place either in the United States or in the UK," Arum said.Arum was speaking shortly after Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn, of Matchroom, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZfokXULjOw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told iFL TV</a> that the bout could feature in Saudi Arabia as this would generate $200 million total purse for the fighters.While Arum told us three months ago that putting regular fights in the Middle East "kills the sport," he appears to have since changed his mind. He <a href="https://www.thesun.ie/news/5412542/bob-arum-confidence-in-daniel-kinahan-bid-run-fury-joshua-fight/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the Irish Sun</a> that he is now exploring opportunities in the region regarding Joshua vs. Fury and other major fights.While the UK and the US were in play earlier in the year and the Middle East could provide options, China, too, appears to be a potential destination for the 2021 super-fight."We've been getting offers from all over the world for this fight," Arum told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVZRmpNPjGw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">iFL TV</a> earlier this month. "I have an expertise in Macau, too, having done fights there, so I'm talking to Macau," he added.While the host country is yet to be decided, both parties — Arum of Top Rank, which looks after Fury, and Matchroom — are clearly in constant discussion regarding the bout."It's definitely a fight we want to make happen and Tyson wants it to happen," Smith told Insider.Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/how-matchroom-and-eddie-hearn-will-restart-boxing-during-coronavirus-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Britain's biggest fight promoter has launched an ambitious plan to bring elite boxing to his huge, multi-million dollar mansion — and Anthony Joshua wants to get involved</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/billy-joe-saunders-should-seek-advice-from-tyson-fury-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Billy Joe Saunders posted a video showing men how to punch their partners in quarantine. He can't stay out of trouble and should seek advice from Tyson Fury who worked to improve his image</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/tyson-fury-broke-his-dads-ribs-at-14-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tyson Fury's life changed forever when he was 14 and punched his dad so hard he broke 3 of his ribs</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/3-statistics-show-why-anthony-joshua-was-able-to-beat-andy-ruiz-jr-2019-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3 statistics show why Anthony Joshua was able to beat Andy Ruiz Jr. so easily the second time around</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/khabib-nurmagomedov-be-like-tyson-fury-to-become-a-legend-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khabib Nurmagomedov said he's following heavyweight king Tyson Fury's lead so he can 'become a legend' in combat sports</a>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/anthony-joshua-tyson-fury-fight-has-global-offers-promoter-says-2020-5">Insider</a>

The man who looks after Anthony Joshua's multi-million dollar deals says the Tyson Fury fight 'has global interest' to host it

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two of <keyword id="6362171" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Boxing">boxing</keyword>'s most powerful figures have announced a wild plan to bring the sport back in Britain.</li><li><keyword id="2268473" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Eddie-Hearn">Eddie Hearn</keyword> and <keyword id="1311196" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Frank-Smith">Frank Smith</keyword>, both of Matchroom Sport, will host four live events in consecutive Saturdays in the grounds of Matchroom HQ.</li><li>Fights will take place outside, in the gardens of a 15-acre plot on which stands a heli-pad, an indoor swimming pool, and a mansion fit for a king.</li><li>Boxing royalty <keyword id="576793" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Anthony-Joshua">Anthony Joshua</keyword>, the unified heavyweight boxing world champion, wants to take part.</li><li>"World championship boxing in my garden? Oh, go on then," Hearn said.</li></ul>LONDON — Film footage cuts from one drone to another as they circle above Matchroom's head office in Essex, a grassy-county east of London.The HQ is not your normal office block. It's a 15-acre mansion which Eddie Hearn, one of boxing's most powerful figures, grew up in with his dad, Barry, Matchroom's founder.It boasts an indoor swimming pool, a heli-pad, and has cityscape views of London's financial district bursting through the horizon dozens of miles away."Sweet Caroline," the 1969 Neil Diamond classic now synonymous with boxing in Britain, has just finished playing.A light display, pyrotechnics, and more elaborate fireworks accompany a big-name heavyweight who makes his entrance from the hills and toward a Sky <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">Sports</keyword> ring Hearn, 40, had built next to Matchroom HQ in his backyard.It's almost time for the main event — let's get ready to rumble.Nobody is smiling more than Hearn, who sits beneath the night sky at ringside, socially-distant from those around him.Event staff and the fight's referee wear N95 masks to mitigate any threat from the novel coronavirus. Staff disinfect spit buckets after cleaning the canvas to a medical level.Boxing is back.<h2>A grand vision for the return of elite boxing</h2>What you've just read is Hearn's vision to safely restart his sport behind-closed-doors in July, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-8323317/Boxing-return-July-Eddie-Hearns-garden-1m-plan-delivering-four-weeks-fights.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Mail Online</a>."World championship boxing in my garden? Oh, go on then," Hearn said.It is as inventive as it is ambitious, and it typifies Hearn's charismatic and over-the-top style as <a href="https://www.insider.com/eddie-hearn-plans-to-conquer-world-boxing-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he has frequently told Insider that he isn't just content to have taken control of boxing in Britain</a>.No. He's always had world boxing in his sights, and even that might not be enough as <a href="https://www.insider.com/eddie-hearn-considering-plan-to-promote-mma-events-rival-ufc-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he seemingly becomes increasingly tempted to challenge the near monopoly the UFC enjoys</a> in mixed martial arts.Hearn's vision for boxing in the COVID-19 era is akin to one Dana White has, as the UFC president appears determined to follow his three, indoor Jacksonville events in May, with <a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-texts-dana-white-wanting-to-fight-on-fight-island-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a mysterious "Fight Island" project</a> he insists is real, and has a UFC hotel, gym, and a purpose-built Octagon which can apparently host events from June.Both concepts are beyond the boundaries of what you and I consider normal, but, well … this is what wildly-effective promotional showmanship is all about. This is the fight game after all.<h2>How the hell did boxing get here, in Matchroom Sports Garden?</h2><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1261410364241203204?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2020</a></blockquote>The plan was likely devised at Matchroom HQ, otherwise known as Mascalls, which is a stately property 30 miles from the O2 Arena, where Matchroom's pay-per-view shows in London are often held.There are many rooms all dedicated to Matchroom operations whether it's media-facing staff or operations. One of the key minds is Hearn's right-hand man Frank Smith, 27, who can be seen at events not in-front of the camera, but to the side, often working behind-the-scenes where he elevates the brand globally.It is a far-cry from how Smith started, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boxing-news-frank-smith-anthony-joshua-matchroom-boxing-2017-3?r=UK" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling Insider in 2017</a> he began life at Matchroom as a 14-year-old errand-boy delivering pizza or bringing tea to poker players.From there, he worked in various Matchroom sports properties like darts, snooker, and golf, before finally moving into the boxing department, where he handles multi-million dollar contracts for marquee clients like Anthony Joshua, Gennady Golovkin, and Devin Haney.Smith, now the CEO of Matchroom Boxing, recently told us about the challenges his company was enduring.<div type="image" title="Who is Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith" height="618" width="825" msid="75872018" hostid="261"></div>Much of the world, England included, was in strict lockdown. Boxing, like the world's biggest sports leagues, had shut operations. The coronavirus pandemic had changed life for the foreseeable future.Smith said he was finding it tough to motivate a team of 100 scattered through multiple territories as the business was reliant on live events, and live events were banned. Matchroom shows in Britain, Italy, and the US had all been postponed.For Smith, the coronavirus was bigger than anything — boxing had to shut down. "So many people are suffering and are affected by it, so it's very hard … we're in a generation where we've never experienced anything like it," he told Insider.In early April, Smith ruled-out working abroad in a country with a lower rate of the virus, because the situation had a habit of changing so rapidly that the "substantial" financial investment it would take, to stage an event in Saudi Arabia or Singapore, for example, would be far too risky when borders could close at a moment's notice."It's quite a risk to do anything in other markets," Smith said. "We do shows in nine territories and didn't look outside the territories we normally work in. Restrictions constantly change, it would be a big risk to set something up, only for it to change again with airports closing."With international markets ruled out, Matchroom could only look within Britain, and so initially the team scoured studio options."We were looking at a few studios … no crowd, minimal staffing, minimal teams with the fighters," Smith told us. "But the decision was taken out of our hands when the government [banned] medical-supporting events."Options were running out.A possible new normal was dawning on the Matchroom team — they had become a live events business with no live events planned, or to plan.Because of social-distancing rules, Smith conducted group Zoom calls every morning with his teams, with staff now working from their own homes. They caught up on admin, doing things that may have been missed, or left, and just tried to stay busy.Every now and then Smith would return to Matchroom HQ to collect a file.Between those trips, and maybe Hearn himself taking a call at Mascalls with the gardens in the background, an elaborate scheme was hatched.<h2>The first rule of Fight Camp is … Tell everybody about Fight Camp</h2><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1262302287130701825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2020</a></blockquote><h2>The second rule of Fight Camp is … No seriously, tell everybody about Fight Camp</h2>That scheme was Fight Camp — four consecutive midsummer Saturday night events which will take place in the gardens of Matchroom HQ, without fans, and with reduced fight teams and event crew.There can be no more than 90 people at each Saturday night event.There'll be a studio center for Sky Sports which is Matchroom's broadcast partner in the UK, in addition to a media zone, changing room marquees, a weigh-in area — likely in the halls of the building — and an outdoor ring beneath a canopy to protect against Britain's notoriously fickle weather.<div type="image" title="What is Matchroom Boxing Fight Camp, where is it, when is it" height="479" width="825" msid="75872021" hostid="261"></div>Matchroom plans to hire local hotels where athletes and trainers stay from each Tuesday, the start of fight week, through to Sunday, the morning after the Saturday fight.Everyone involved in the events will be forced to quarantine for 24 hours after they've been tested on the Tuesday before the event, until they receive the results the next day. If they test positive for the coronavirus, they will leave the hotel and be isolated. Those who test negative continue on for Fight Camp.Media activities will likely be done remotely, as the venue — with social-distancing measures — can only have 90 people on-site.Matchroom is paying for $35,000 worth of COVID-19 tests for everybody involved in each of the fight weeks, for the camp's four week duration.There is then a great financial outlay which come with rigging a mansion with fight and broadcast equipment in a way that dazzles on television. "It's a huge mission," Hearn told the Mail Online.Robert Smith, the general secretary for the British Boxing Board of Control — which oversees the rules and regulations of the sport within the UK — said on a recent BBC 5 Live appearance that promoters who go behind-closed-doors will "take a big financial hit."<a href="https://www.boxingnewsonline.net/boxings-comeback-begins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Boxing News</a>, Smith said: "But they have contracts with TV companies and we want to get boxing back on TV."<div type="image" title="Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn in Diriyah" height="1395" width="2000" msid="75872024" hostid="261"></div>Matchroom has held memorable events inside massive soccer stadiums in Britain, at the historic Madison Square Garden in New York City, and a purpose-built 15,000 capacity venue in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.Now, it's time for Matchroom Sports Garden to take center stage.It's a a costly but potentially legacy-building series of Saturday fight nights over a four-week spell, which Hearn, Smith, and the wider Matchroom team hope recaptures the momentum it had earlier in the year, a time Hearn was telling Insider — not for the first time — that <a href="https://www.insider.com/eddie-hearn-plans-to-conquer-world-boxing-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his business will be the world's No.1 fight firm</a>."Financially this will be painful for us," Hearn told the Mail Online, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/52689470" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adding to the BBC</a> more recently that he is confident the backyard brawls this summer will "go down in history" as one of the great periods in British boxing."The most iconic venue in the world is Madison Square Garden, we will be the new garden. Of all the challenges I have had from Wembley Stadium to Saudi Arabia and Madison Square Garden, this is the biggest. That excites me," he said.One of the greatest obstacles Matchroom has to overcome, is for gyms to reopen. This is so fighters with no other access to training can get fighting fit. Providing this ban is lifted, Hearn hopes to stage the events from mid-JulyProspective fights include:<ul><li>Natasha Jones vs. Terri Harper, super featherweight championship match</li><li>Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano, lightweight championship match</li><li>Cecilia Braekhus vs. Jessica McCaskill, welterweight championship match</li><li>Dillian Whyte vs. Alexander Povetkin, heavyweight match</li></ul>As there will be no fan-led atmosphere at any of these shows, Hearn hopes the raw sound of 10-ounce gloves smacking into a fighter's face will make for a compelling enough audio-visual experience at home."There's nothing like 90,000 [people] singing 'Sweet Caroline' but if you can create intensity through the sound of punches landed, the sound of fighters' heavy breathing, the sound of corner teams giving instructions and conversing with their fighters, this is what we need in the mix of the new TV show," <a href="https://theathletic.com/1824855/2020/05/20/eddie-hearn-details-plan-to-bring-boxing-back-from-his-backyard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hearn told The Athletic</a>."This isn't a game of soccer or tennis. This is brutal. If we can showcase that brutality in a more intense way, it's going to be quite compelling in the short-term."He told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3R5ZjHaVv8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the YouTube channel iFL TV</a> that many of his athletes can compete on short notice. "90% of fighters are ready to go," he said. "They want to carry on their career."<h2>Anthony Joshua wants to join Fight Camp</h2><div type="image" title="Anthony Joshua" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75872025" hostid="261"></div>Joshua, heavyweight boxing's hottest property, has not fought since he reclaimed three major world heavyweight championship titles in Saudi Arabia last year, when he out-pointed Andy Ruiz Jr. with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3-statistics-show-why-anthony-joshua-was-able-to-beat-andy-ruiz-jr-2019-12?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a disciplined performance in Saudi Arabia</a>, six months after he was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-joshua-setback-should-have-listened-to-floyd-mayweather-2019-6?src=rss&amp;r=US&amp;IR=Tamp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">humiliatingly defeated by the same man</a> in New York.Joshua was due to defend his belts against mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev on June 20 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, and while the coronavirus nixed that event, the date is being rearranged for when the COVID-19 situation becomes clearer.<a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/boxing/story/_/id/29169457/croatia-interested-hosting-anthony-joshua-kubrat-pulev-bout" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN reported</a> earlier this month that Croatia presented a "very solid offer" to host the fight, but Joshua apparently wants to keep the bout in the UK, and even asked Hearn for an invitation to Fight Camp."I was talking AJ, AJ wants to fight here at Fight Camp," Hearn told iFL TV. "I don't think that's necessarily an option. But he wants to fight. This is what he does, I want to go back to the office, I want to go back to work. That's what I do."I'm sure fighters would prefer to fight in front of live crowds, of course you would. That's not going to be an option in the interim and may not even be an option until next year. So, be a pro, get prepared and get a fight in the bank. Get your money in the bank, progress your career, and let's go."This echoes what Smith told Insider last month. The fighters, he said, are ready. "They're all keeping training, going out for their one run a day, working-out indoors, and staying very active."A lot of people knew the severity of the situation and are understanding of what's going on. They're all keeping ready, and that's the main thing."Regardless of who fights and who doesn't, Matchroom appears set to follow in the UFC's footsteps and have a short-term residency of multiple nights in the same venue.While the UFC did that in an empty 15,000 capacity VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Florida, the chosen venue, for Hearn, just happens to be the grounds of Matchroom HQ.He told the Mail Online last week that he hopes it will be great for boxing, even if he knows it "won't be great for the grass."Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-fighting-manny-pacquiao-in-boxing-is-still-possible-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor fighting Manny Pacquiao in boxing is still possible, says the man who represents both athletes</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-evander-holyfield-debunked-meme-he-cant-wear-covid-masks-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evander Holyfield hilariously debunked a meme that he can't wear COVID masks because Mike Tyson bit one of his ears off</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/floyd-mayweather-wants-to-make-1-billion-through-property-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Floyd Mayweather's new goal in life is to make $1 billion through property, doubling the money he made as a boxer, his right-hand man says</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/devin-haney-says-hes-not-racist-regrets-white-boy-remark-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">21-year-old American boxer Devin Haney says he's not racist, has 'learned a lot,' and regrets saying he'd never lose to a 'white boy'</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/mike-tyson-punched-garbage-man-for-throwing-away-his-pigeon-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Tyson said he once knocked out a garbage man for throwing away one of his pet pigeons that had died</a>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-matchroom-and-eddie-hearn-will-restart-boxing-during-coronavirus-2020-5">Insider</a>

Britain's biggest fight promoter has launched an ambitious plan to bring elite boxing to his huge, multi-million dollar mansion — and Anthony Joshua wants to get involved

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The late jazz singer Tony Bennett served in the US Army during World War 2 and liberated a concentration camp.</li><li>He was once demoted because he had dinner with a Black friend when soldiers were still segregated.</li></ul>Before he became a jazz legend, Tony Bennett was a US Army soldier whose stand against segregation got him in trouble.The iconic crooner — who <a href="https://www.insider.com/tony-bennett-singer-dead-obituary-2019-7/">died Friday at age 96</a> — served in the US Army towards the end of World War 2, an experience that shaped the rest of his life.Bennett was sent into the Battle of the Bulge to reinforce Allied troops, <a href="https://www.military.com/off-duty/music/2023/07/21/tony-bennetts-world-war-ii-experience-was-front-row-seat-hell.html">according to Military.com</a>. He wrote in his autobiography "The Good Life" that the front was "a front-row seat in hell."His final mission was liberating a concentration camp in Germany."I'll never forget the desperate faces and empty stares of the prisoners as they wandered aimlessly around the campgrounds," Bennett wrote in his autobiography.After the war, Bennett faced discipline for spending time with a Black friend while soldiers were still segregated.Bennett, who was at the time a corporal in the US's Special Services, invited his Black friend, Frank Smith, to dinner during the post-war occupation period, according to <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/the-time-tony-bennett-saw-things-no-human-being-should-ever-have-to-see/16847/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PBS News</a>.In response, a senior officer in the US Army cut off Bennett's corporal stripes and threw them on the floor, the report said, citing Bennett's autobiography.The officer also spat on Bennett's stripes and he was demoted from corporal to private.Reflecting on his time in the US armed forces, Bennett wrote that the "unbelievable" incident demonstrated "the degree of prejudice that was so widespread in the army during World War II.""Black Americans have fought in all of America's wars, yet they have seldom been given credit for their contribution, and segregation and discrimination in civilian life and in the armed forces has been a sad fact of life," he wrote.When Bennett returned to the US in 1946, he devoted the rest of his life and career to pacifism and the arts."Anybody who thinks that war is romantic obviously hasn't gone through one," Bennett wrote in his autobiography.

Tony Bennett served in the US Army during World War II and was demoted for breaking segregation rules and hanging out with a Black soldier

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A <keyword id="11922196" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="boxing" source="Orion">boxing</keyword> event in England descended into chaos Saturday.</li><li><keyword id="13370582" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="leigh-wood" source="Orion">Leigh Wood</keyword> knocked <keyword id="12224165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="michael-conlan" source="Orion">Michael Conlan</keyword> out of the ring, after rebounding from an early knockdown.</li></ul>For many, even those who work in <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boxing</a> 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 <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/michael-conlan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Conlan</a>, 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."<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1502797067260940290">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>Watch the first-round knockdown right here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1502781713864351746">March 12, 2022</a></blockquote>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:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1502792001397350400">March 12, 2022</a></blockquote>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.<div type="image" title="Leigh Wood punches Michael Conlan out of the ring." height="1333" width="2000" msid="90178439" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Michael Conlan punched out of the ring." height="1333" width="2000" msid="90178440" hostid="261"></div>Combat <keyword id="11893855" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports" source="Orion">sports</keyword> 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."<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Frank Smith (@FrankSmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1502800069996822530">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>With victory, Wood advanced his pro boxing record to 26 wins (16 knockouts) against two losses.

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The man who looks after Anthony Joshua's multi-million dollar deals says the Tyson Fury fight 'has global interest' to host it

Alan Dawson

Britain's biggest fight promoter has launched an ambitious plan to bring elite boxing to his huge, multi-million dollar mansion — and Anthony Joshua wants to get involved

Alan Dawson

Tony Bennett served in the US Army during World War II and was demoted for breaking segregation rules and hanging out with a Black soldier

Paul Squire

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

Alan Dawson