There was a terrific atmosphere at the FM Hallam Arena, Sheffield, England on Saturday night as Dennis Hobson and Fight Academy presented a fight night billed as “He’s Back”, featuring Sheffield’s  man of steel Clinton Woods, defending his IBF Light Heavyweight title against Mexican brawler and former WBO titlist Julio Gonzalez.

As the five piece band played ”Rule Britannia” up in the tiers above the ring, Clinton Woods entered accompanied by promoter and good friend Dennis Hobson, and trainer Richard Poxon.

The crowd roared their support, happy to see Woods back in the ring after a 12 month break that was riddled with injury and postponements.

Homeboy Woods faced Gonzalez for the second time, having outpointed the Mexican last time out a year ago in his first defense of the IBF title.

Round one and Gonzalez looks under pressure from Woods as he lands some good shots, keen to impress on his return to the ring. In the second the Mexican is backed up on to the ropes and the crowd erupted. Woods seems to be dominating at the moment but he’s not gone unscathed as he gets caught with a couple of good shots.

Round three and Woods lands a great left hand to the right temple area of Gonzalez and the Mexican is clearly smarting. Midway through the round and now Woods is backed up on the ropes under a barrage of punches but Woods comes back with a shot of his own.

It had been a slightly more tentative Gonzalez that started the fight, but now he’s settled in and it’s a good scrap between these two.

Woods had been backed up on the ropes again during the fifth but got  out of trouble by landing two cracking punches. “Come on Clinton, Come on Clinton….” The band plays and the crowd join in. By the end of the round there is blood around the nose of Woods.

It’s a fast-paced fight which sees the two men battle it out more evenly during the mid and later rounds, both men exchanging blow for blow. The band bursts in to the ‘Rocky’ theme tune and it seems to lift the spirit of Woods!

At the end of round eight, Woods has sustained a graze above the left brow and Gonzalez has a cut to the right brow by the end of round eleven.

As the bell sounds for the end of the twelfth, both men raise their arms in victory, Woods is lifted aloft by Dennis Hobson, confident of the win.

Woods wins by unanimous decision, 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 to retain the IBF Light Heavyweight title for the fourth time.

Clinton sees his record to 41-3-1 (24) while Julio Gonzalez drops to 41-4 (25).

Many thanks to Jane Warburton and www.saddoboxing.com for this report

 Original article and images available on the link below.

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