Michael Conlan has spoken out from his hospital bed to confirm his brain scan was clear following his brutal KO at the hands of Leigh Wood.
Conlan was on course to snatch the featherweight world title from Wood heading into the last round of their thrilling clash last night.
The irishman had knocked down the. champion in the first round before opening up a lead on the scorecards.
Wood had fought back valiantly, and scored his own knockdown in the penultimate session but needed at least another in the final round to retain his title.
Instead he sent Conlan through the ropes with a huge right hand which left his challenger requiring immediate medial attention.
The 30-year-old was put in an ambulance and taken to hospital where was reported to be conscious and stable.
He later posted a video on social media in which he said: "I'm all good, I'm just getting checked out in the hospital.
"MY CT scan was all clear, congrats to Leigh Wood, congrats to the team. You landed the best shot of the night and got me at the end, bit it is what it is; I'll be back."
Conlan then watched the fight back and added on Twitter : "Watched the fight, I definitely need to run it back!
"Up on the cards & 11th [round knockdown] was a slip, fatigue was kicking in and I was caught on the temple with a good shot I didn’t see. Respect.. Congrats again, you're a tough f***** but let’s run it back."
Conlan seemed odds-on to maintain his perfect record in the paid ranks as, having adopted a southpaw stance early into the fight, a looping left hand put Wood flat on his back in the final few seconds of the opening round.
Wood rose on unsteady legs and was arguably saved by the bell as a headline fight in front of his hometown fans threatened to turn sour. Conlan, backed by a sizeable and vocal travelling support in a boisterous atmosphere, seemed far too slick early on for Wood, who was buckled in both the second and third rounds.
Wood gradually grew into the fight and was able to repeatedly force his foe on to the back foot even if he was susceptible to Conlan’s left hooks, which the challenger used at will to stop the local lad in his tracks.
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There were some relentless exchanges in the seventh and particularly the eighth round, with both fighters enjoying some success although Wood showed signs of turning the tide as he rocked back Conlan’s head with a powerful right.
Conlan kept the fight at a distance in the ninth and while Wood responded well in the 10th, it was thought he still needed a big finish. He boosted his hopes in the 11th with a left that momentarily floored Conlan, whose insistence he had slipped rather than being knocked over was overlooked by Gray as he administered the eight-count.
If there was any controversy over the issue, it was rendered a moot point as Wood closed the show in spectacular fashion, one minute and 25 seconds into the last round. He was trailing by one point on two of the judges’ cards and three on the other but took the scoring out of the equation with a clinical finish.
