Wood wins with broken hand
Painful success...Garth Wood scored his Contender victory with a broken right hand. Picture: Justin Lloyd
Source: The Daily Telegraph
MIDNIGHT refuses to toll on Garth Wood's Cinderella story, which took a quantum fairytale leap after doctors confirmed he won The Contender final with a broken right hand.
X-rays yesterday proved Monday night's shock victory over Kenyan giant Kariz Kariuki drew on more guts and determination than were initially evident from Wood's blood-soaked shorts.
The 31-year-old has revealed he felt his right hand "go crack" after landing a trademark overhead bomb on Kariuki's dial.
Incredibly, the mishap occurred during just the second round of a fight the injured Wood dominated from start to finish.
"I knew exactly when it happened, I felt it go crack and it started to hurt," he said.
"But what could I do? There was no way I was going to stop, because I'd come so far and was really dominating him early.
"I didn't even bother telling my trainer. There was nothing anyone could've done. It wasn't like they could unwrap my gloves and ice my hand during the fight.
"All I could do was get on with it and try to ignore the pain."
Wood conceded that he "backed off" in the third round because of the pain, but nevertheless finished a clear winner.
"Kariz is pretty lucky I reckon because during the first two rounds I reckon I was on track to knock him out," the former Rabbitohs and Tigers utility continued.
"That was my aim and I reckon it would have happened had I not broken my hand."
Although his hand had swollen to "the size of a football" later, Wood's adrenalin masked the pain for the next 36 hours.
"Straight after the fight I had to see a lot of mates at the after-party and I was on such a high that I sort of forgot about it," he said.
"Then (on Tuesday) I had a heap of media commitments and television, so I didn't get to really ice it. By (yesterday) morning I was in agony. I couldn't even drive to the doctor to get X-rays."
The scans immediately confirmed two breaks at the base of Wood's right index finger, and he was ordered to Prince of Wales Hospital to see a specialist last night.
Wood will now have surgery as soon as possible in a bid to quickly resume boxing and prepare for his reward - a prize fight against Anthony Mundine.
"After so long in the wilderness, I've realised this is what I want to do with my life," Wood said. "I've only had eight fights and I've won The Contender
"I reckon I've got a lot more improvement left. I believe I can go a long way."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/wood-wins-with-broken-hand/story-e6frexni-1225819007228
