The 33-year-old Leigh Wood put up a sensational performance this weekend. The Englishman stopped and dethroned Xu Can in Round 12. The Beijing native looked dusty and his opponent made full use of his slow and counter-productive defense.
On-point jabs, a barrage of uppercuts, and a sharp right hook took a toll on Xu Can and cost him his title. After a dominant showcase of skill, striking accuracy, and determination, Wood is now the WBA featherweight world champion.
Leigh Wood has now caught the eyes of many in the boxing community. Even the two-time heavyweight champion Tyson Fury could not hold back from sharing his thoughts on the new British champion.
‘The Gypsy King’ shared that Leigh Wood’s performance against the former WBA champion impressed him. He called this fight an “easy win” for the British boxer over Xu Can. He also predicted Wood winning around the fifth round.
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“What a win for Leigh Wood, absolutely fantastic performance. I had him winning by about 5 rounds, easy. Great, great performance. Great win. Well done guys,” said Tyson Fury.
Leigh Wood vs Xu Can – Ring Rust and Raining Uppercuts
Stepping on six weeks’ notice, Leigh Wood entered the ring as an underdog against Xu Can, who has been successful in three title defenses. However, the former champion from Beijing seemed off right from the get-go.
He entered Round 1 with a heavily defensive approach as he had his guard pulled up almost throughout the fight. However, Can’s high-guard did not hold Wood from finding gaps and landing extremely effective uppercuts to the face.
Multiple times through the fight, Leigh Wood identified glaring gaps in Xu Can’s defense and doubled down on his sharp shots.
The English fighter could land constant jabs, hooks to the body, and vicious uppercuts through his opponent’s guard. Being the taller fighter with a longer reach, Xu Can clearly did not use his natural strengths to his advantage.
However, Can turned up the momentum in the sixth and seventh rounds. He seemed more aggressive in this phase of the fight. This did not affect Leigh Wood’s ability to find gaps and deliver damaging hooks. In the latter rounds, Xu Can seemed worn off and tired and his opponent picked up on this.
Capitalizing on his strengths, Wood doubled down on his striking while the fighter from Beijing continued to bank on his high guard for minimizing damage. The British boxer then dropped Can on the canvas in Round 12 and followed it up till the referee had seen enough.
Who do you think Leigh Wood should go after next?
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