The chief support for Lewis Crocker-Jose Felix saw cruiserweight prospect Cheavon Clarke score a breakout win over popular Irishman Tommy McCarthy in Belfast’s Ulster Hall.
Round one opened with Clarke landing a hefty jab, he followed up with an uppercut with the Irishman on the ropes, and McCarthy looked in big trouble in the opening seconds. Clarke bloodied MCCarthy’s nose as he stalked his man and landed two good shots to the body, followed up by another uppercut on the ropes. McCarthy did attack Clarke’s body, but he was far from spiteful or accurate.
Clarke began round two with ferocity. McCarthy found himself on the ropes taking another uppercut in the opening seconds and while McCarthy did manage to get behind his jab and draw success in the middle stages of the round, it was always Clarke pushing the action.
The fourth round saw action slow a little, and it became untidy. McCarthy drew a hometown roar as he landed two shots to the head midway through the round but the pair spent large portions of the fourth on each other's chest. McCarthy fired in a big right hand upstairs while pushed to the strands, but Clarke finished strong, landing a combination to close the round.
Then, McCarthy hit the canvas as Clarke unleashed a gluttony of big right hands, with a pin perfect right hand to the head that started the Belfast man’s demise. Clarke had opened the round determined to get the knockout. McCarthy reluctantly rose to his feet on the count of nine. Referee Steve Gray gave McCarthy a chance to fight on, but Clarke rammed home a knockout victory with a selection of telegraphed body shots. Gray stepped in at 1.27 to wave the contest off with McCarthy on his feet but in no state to continue.
Clarke continued to impress on the European scene. His record improves to 8-0 (6 KOs) as he claimed a WBA regional belt to secure a world-ranking spot. McCarthy tasted a second successive knockout defeat, with his record moving to (20-6, 10 KOs).
