IT was quite hard to process what happened at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on Saturday night as Michael Conlan's bid to dethrone Leigh Wood of the WBA featherweight title came to a shuddering halt just 95 seconds shy of the final bell.

Up to that point, the West Belfast man had seemingly ticked every box with his so-called feather fists leaving the champion down, dazed and confused at the end of the first, before out-boxing and out-fighting Wood to take full charge.

With Conlan ahead by the midway point, Wood proved his resilience to battle back and bring himself right back into play in the second half of the fight, but entering the final round he knew he needed a stoppage and delivered, knocking Conlan out and out of the ring in a stunning finish that saw him grasp victory from the jaws of defeat.

The Irishman was taken to hospital as a precaution but thankfully was given the all-clear. 

Just how the finish came to be was simply baffling as Conlan dealt with Wood's power throughout and more than held his own in the exchanges. 

Throughout the contest, his left hand appeared to be the money shot with the Nottingham man hurt badly with the first-round knockdown and visibly in trouble on several occasions after, but he managed to dig in, scoring a rather soft knockdown in round 11 that appeared more a slip and an almost apologetic referee Steve Gray explaining that he had to give it as a punch landed. But what happened midway through the final round was utterly out of leftfield as Conlan took a right that had him out before falling back. 

Explain it? I just don't know. Sometimes, and sorry for the vulgar term, but shit happens.

On his biggest night, Conlan showed a bit of everything, ridiculing the suggestion he lacks pop in his punches at the end of the opening round that Wood seemed to just nick, landed a left down the pipe that had the champion flat and almost completely out, yet just about rising to his feet despite his legs just about playing ball as the respite of the minute off gave him these vital seconds to keep himself in play.

The left of Conlan, who fought consistently as a southpaw, could not miss and a similar shot appeared to leave Wood on the brink, but the Nottingham man was able to just about keep himself together.

The third was another Conlan round who was having a dream start, but there were signs in four that Wood was beginning to gain a foothold as he pressed forward and made it a fight on the inside, saluting the bell with a raised glove that seemed little more than a moral victory.

The fighters appeared to swap rounds in five and six and Conlan was not far off an unassailable lead, but there was just a sense that Wood was beginning to make this a fight on his terms, getting up close and turning this contest into a battle of wills.

Still, Conlan was enjoying more than enough success and the bloodied champion was not enjoying the body shots coming his way.

There was just that sense that the momentum was beginning to swing entering the championship rounds, yet despite Conlan boxing beautifully in 11, he was adjudged to have been floored late. Yes, right hand forced what was obviously a slip and cornerman Adam Booth was apoplectic at referee Steve Gray for the decision, but you could also understand where the official was coming from.

The 10-8 round from what was heading to be a 10-9 in Conlan's favour clearly lit a spark under Wood who knew he was still in it, yet the finish was nonetheless shocking.

Wood is down in the first round
2Gallery

Wood is down in the first round

Conlan was not required to force the action, but perhaps just switched off for a split second and it proved disastrous.

A right hand had him out and the fall through the ropes accentuated the finish. Wood, to his utter credit, refused to celebrate too wildly with huge concern as to the wellbeing of his foe.

The night was a perfect illustration as to why we both love and hate this sport equal measure: two warriors who deliver a fight of the year, yet the fact one man ends in hospital puts it all in perspective.

Belfast was seconds from a new world champion, but in the greater scheme of things, does it really matter?