The most rewarding comeback knockouts in boxing history, including Rocky Marciano and Carl Froch, after Leigh Wood’s sensational final round KO of Michael Conlan

A few weeks ago, Leigh Wood and Michael Conlan met in Nottingham and battled it out in a Fight of the Year contender, with an ending that no-one expected.

Conlan looked in control for the majority of the fight despite a valiant effort from Wood and it seemed as if the Irishman just needed to survive to the final bell to claim victory.

Wood and Conlan put on an all-time classicMark Robinson/Matchroom

But halfway through the 12th round, Wood knocked Conlan out cold, sending him through the ropes to upset the odds and defend his WBA featherweight world title.

Once it was established that Conlan was OK, speculation quickly turned to Wood’s next opponent, as the Brit could now find himself in a lucrative unification bout all off the back of that one punch.

Wood, however, is not the only man in boxing history to take such huge rewards from just one punch late on in a fight.

Here’s some other memorable comeback moments in boxing…

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr

By 1990, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr had already amassed a record of 68-0 and a reputation as one of the best fighters in the sport of boxing – and he had a huge Mexican fanbase behind him.

On March 17 in 1990, Chavez met an exciting young American, Meldrick Taylor, in the ring for a fight that was billed as ‘Thunder meets Lightning’ and it went onto win The Ring Magazine’s ‘Fight of the Year’ and ‘Fight of the Decade’ awards.

Taylor dominated through the halfway point of the fight using his quick hands and evasive reflexes to frustrate his Mexican opponent and build himself a comfortable lead on the scorecards.

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In the latter rounds, Chavez’s relentless pressure began to tell and in the final few seconds of the fight, well behind on two of the three judges scorecards, Chavez dropped Taylor with a clean right hand to the chin and the referee waved off the fight with two seconds left on the clock.

This knockout helped maintain Chavez’s unbeaten record and catapulted him to being widely regarded as the best fighter in the world in the coming years.

Chavez also went on to secure lucrative fights with the likes of Hector Camacho, Pernell Whitaker and Oscar De La Hoya to name a few, as well as a fight with Greg Haugen at the Estadio Azteca, which was attended by 132,247 spectators.

In a truly memorable, dramatic and fantastic fight, Julio Cesar Chavez, stopped Meldrick Taylor in the final seconds of the 12th and final round!

The Ring Magazine from New York considered this bout to be the best of the year, and then the finest of the decade! pic.twitter.com/kPz4CNpEyI

— World Boxing Council (@WBCBoxing) March 17, 2022

GettyChavez and Taylor fought again in 1994 and Chavez stopped Taylor in the eighth round[/caption]

Carl Froch

We’ve all heard Carl Froch repeatedly name-drop the fact that he knocked George Groves in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, but was there a chance that fight never happened in the first place?

Five years earlier, as Froch was beginning to make a name for himself, having just become a world champion by beating Jean Pascal, he was then set to take on Jermain Taylor in his first title defence.

Going into the final round of the fight, Froch was down on two of the three judges scorecards and he needed a knockout to win.

Inside the final minute of round 12, Froch landed a crushing right cross to drop Taylor, who managed to get back to his feet, but Froch followed up with a barrage of punches and the referee had no choice but to stop the fight with 15 seconds left on the clock.

This win established Froch as a legitimate world champion at 168 lbs and he went on to have a streak of ten straight world title bouts, including big money fights with Andre Ward, Mikkel Kessler and of course his fiercest rival, George Groves.

Froch’s 12th-round triumph over Taylor was as dramatic as they comeGetty Images – Getty

What a comeback! @Carl_Froch stops Jermain Taylor in the nick of time to complete a sensational win State Side, on the round clock! pic.twitter.com/ODucWNGeit

— BBTV Boxing (@britishboxers) May 14, 2020

Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano is famous for being the only heavyweight world champion to finish his career unbeaten, but he almost didn’t become a world champion at all.

The ‘Brockton Blockbuster’ received his first shot at the heavyweight world title in 1952 against the formidable but ageing champion, Jersey Joe Walcott.

Walcott was the favourite going into the bout and as the action unfolded it seemed as if the bookies had it got right, after Marciano was dropped in the first round and he was struggling to get to grips with Walcott’s power and calculated aggression.

It seemed to all be going the champion’s way until the 13th round.

Marciano was trailing by multiple rounds on all three judges scorecards, but he somehow managed to pull a miraculous one-punch knockout from nowhere to see himself crowned the new heavyweight champion.

This fight meant Marciano maintained his unbeaten record and he went on to defend his world title six times, knocking out every opponent he faced and writing himself into the history books.

Rocky Marciano retired with a record of 49-0

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