“That’s Actually Wild”: Fans in Frenzy Over Eerie Similarity Between Oscar De La Hoya Fight and Leigh Wood’s Knockout of Josh Warrington

On October 7, Leigh Wood defeated Josh Warrington via technical knockout in the seventh round. Wood landed a devastating left hand and followed it with a flurry of punches that dropped Warrington. While the entire boxing world was discussing the controversy surrounding the fight, Tom Gray, deputy editor from SportingNews, was drawing comparisons. Comparison with what? Tom recently took to X (Twitter), sharing a clip that drew comparisons between an old Oscar De La Hoya fight and Wood’s knockout. 

The clip in question shows a side-by-side view of the two fights. On one side, Wood knocks down Warrington. On the other, Oscar De La Hoya knocks down his opponent in an old fight. Alongside the video, Tom wrote, “I’m not saying it’s identical (Wood is in the southpaw stance for a start), and I’m not comparing @itsLeighWood to @OscarDeLaHoya, but this was the first fight I thought of when Wood scored the knockdown last night.” After the video started circulating on X–fans went wild because of the uncanny similarity. 

Strange similarity with Oscar De La Hoya fight sends fans into frenzy

As soon as fans found the tweet comparing the two knockdowns, they took to the comment section to express their amazement. While most comments were about the strange resemblance, others commented about Wood’s fight. 

One user questioned if Wood was losing the fight. Notably, Warrington came into the fight aggressively, while Wood opted for a more passive approach. At one point, Warrington even had ‘Leigh-thal’ on the ropes, landing a barrage of punches. The truth is Warrington looked like he would take home the fight until the controversial decision from the referee.

The next user commented about the footwork from both fighters. The user emphasized their amazement with the way both fighters created distance after landing the initial punch by taking strategic back steps. 

Another user skipped the video entirely and remarked on the controversy around the fight. The user expressed their disbelief with people calling the decision controversial. It’s worth mentioning that after getting up from the knockdown, Warrington was wobbly as he walked towards the corner. It led to the referee assuming that Warrington couldn’t continue the fight.

Someone else remarked the resemblance as “wild.” Chances are the similarities are coincidental, considering the limited space inside the ring. If someone compares enough matches with each other, they would find more similarities.

The next user also remarked on the similarities. the user commended Tom’s keen eyes for spotting the similarities. The user even praised both matches featuring Wood and De La Hoya. 

Eddie Hearn thought Wood would lose

The chairman of Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn, was shocked by Wood’s win over Warrington. According to the judges, Warrington was leading the fight, as two judges scored five rounds in his favor while the others awarded him four. However, Wood’s well-timed right hand rocked Warrington and dropped him with a flurry of punches. 

In an interview with Boxing Social, Hearn expressed his surprise at Wood’s comeback. He stated, “He buzzed Warrington a little bit in the first round. Then Warrington was just unbelievable. He battered Leigh Wood in the next four rounds.” Hearn later explained Wood is a great boxer, so you can’t count him out. “But I even started to count him out. I thought he was done,” Hearn told Boxing Social.

Also Read: “If Josh Would Have Turned Around…”: Rooting for Rematch, Ebanie Bridges and Eddie Hearn Share Their 2 Cents on Controversial Josh Warrington vs. Leigh Wood Stoppage

Despite taking place a decade apart, the similarities between the two fights are truly uncanny. However, what are your thoughts on the similarities between the two knockdowns? 

Watch This Story: The Oscar De La Hoya Eddie Hearn Beef So Far