Aqib Fiaz survived a major scare to avoid a disastrous outcome in front of his local fans.

The unbeaten junior lightweight prospect overcame a sixth-round knockdown to outpoint Romania’s Costin Ion over eight rounds. Referee scored the contest 76-75 for Fiaz in their DAZN-aired preliminary bout Saturday evening from AO Arena in Manchester, England.

Fiaz, who hails from nearby Oldham, was well in control through five rounds. The Jaime Moore-trained boxer was denied a knockdown call of his own when the referee correctly ruled that he cuffed the head of Ion and pushed him to the canvas along the ropes.

Ion stood in the pocket and braved every punch thrown in his direction. It reaped major dividends as he floored Fiaz late in round six. The two traded left hooks, Ion quicker to the draw as Fiaz fell to the canvas. The 23-year-old local favorite beat the count but spent the rest of the rounds attempting to find his legs and clear his head.

The same weapon continued to land for Ion in the seventh and eighth round, but not enough to the point of pulling off what would have been a leader for 2023 Upset of the Year. Fiaz—listed as a -5000 favorite—was able to box and bang his way to the final bell and barely preserve his unbeaten record as he advanced to 12-0 (1KO). The well-traveled Ion—a +1200 underdog by the opening bell—fell to 10-4-2 (5KOs) but proved his worth on the road and in front of a partisan crowd.

Headlining the show, Leigh Wood (26-3, 16KOs) aims to regain his WBA featherweight title and avenge a knockout loss at the hands of Mauricio Lara (26-2-1, 19KOs), who was grossly overweight and forced to vacate the belt.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox