Thomas Carty (5-0, 4KOs) and Jay McFarlane (14-7, 5KOs)kicked off the televised broadcast of Katie Taylor’s homecoming and the battle of the undisputed champions against Chantelle Cameron at the 3 Arena, Dublin.
The heavyweight pairing contested the BUI (Boxing Union of Ireland) Celtic heavyweight title, scheduled over eight rounds.
The opening round was a scrappy affair, with McFarlane making a bright start in the half with three right hands landing relatively clean. Carty and McFarlene would be warned for exchanging verbals before Carty attempted to close the gap and range, which allowed McFarlane to smother and hold whilst working up close.
Carty delivered the first quality and telling moment of the fight inside the first thirty seconds of the second with a one-two sending McFarlane to the canvas. Carty then pursued his Scottish opponent, which McFarlane would handle with more tying up and surviving techniques.
The third round saw Carty begin to show his superior conditioning, movement and skill to counter a lunging McFarlane, who led with the right hand on several occasions. The telling of class came in the last thirty seconds of the round with Carty unleashing a carbon copy one-two onto McFarlane, which sent the Scot to the canvas. Carty turned the screw, knowing McFarlane was vulnerable and released several shots up close with a left hook sending McFarlane down again. The official in charge immediately waved off the contest despite McFarlane rising to his feet, with the official time of stoppage coming at 2:58.
Caoimhin Agyarko (12-0, 7KOs) marked a period out of the ring with a triumphant return against Grant Dennis (18-4, 3KOs)in a middleweight contest set for ten rounds.
Agyarko started the fight confidently, targeting the body of the much older Dennis with some attacks to the body and showing glimpses of speed and good footwork. Dennis, however, would still be determined and comfortable trying to get up close to his Belfast opponent.
The second frame was almost a repeat of the opening round. However, Agyarko was more patient in his work and could land efficiently on the body with several combinations. The third saw Agyarko starting to target the head of Dennis more and landing two check hooks in the opening minute of the round. The rhythm was returning to Agyarko, who was becoming more illusive.
Round four was a dominant round for Agyarko, who almost didn’t allow Dennis to land any punches of any significant value whilst backing him up in the process. Agyarko started going through his repertoire of shots with the star combination of a left hook-right uppercut on the bell. Five was a more even affair, with Dennis having a more positive round and getting his jab off quite frequently, Agyarko was able to rally in the final minute and close the gap once again and land shots around the guard of Dennis.
Round six saw Agyarko wrestle back the momentum following an even fifth with strong front foot pressure and combinations now in variations causing Dennis to become more agitated and forcing the Englishman to move to keep Agyarko away.
Seven saw Agyarko step on the gas, take the fight to Dennis, and throw in combinations. However, halfway through the round, Agyarko was caught from a counter by Dennis and was wobbled. This did not deter Agyarko, who later trapped Dennis on the ropes and flurried of many shots of, which Dennis blocked and ultimately survived the round.
The final three rounds saw a repeat of the seventh, with Agyarko pressing more on the front as his confidence grew and ring rust breaking away. Agyarko, although not landing anything clinical to wobble Dennis, was always one step ahead in timing and more stable than Dennis.
The contest went the complete scheduled ten rounds with all three judges scoring identically with scorecards of 100-90 in favour of Agyarko.
JJ Metcalf (24-2 15KOs) dethroned IBO world super-welterweight champion Dennis Hogan (34-4-1 7KOs) in an upclose yet frustrating affair over twelve rounds.
The opening round a hushed and tame affair, with Metcalf stalking and following the champion around the ring. Hogan was able to flick the jab and tie up Metcalf as he attempted to close the distance in a tame affair. Metcalf was more assertive and forceful, taking the lead in the second round, landing a long right hand halfway through the round and several jabs. Hogan was always sharp on his feet and tried to negate the come-forward nature of Metcalf with his footwork and counter, which he did mainly in the final thirty seconds.
Round three saw Metcalf start the round with a big left-hand straight which sent Hogan backwards and was followed by a left uppercut with Hogan on the ropes. Metcalf would stalk and close in on Hogan throughout the round, with Metcalf not respecting Hogan’s power and walking through his shots before being held. A right-hand counter from Hogan as Metclaf was throwing rocked the head back of the Liverpudlian before Metclaf continued to press till the end of the round.
The fourth and fifth saw Hogan start to plant his feet, slow his footwork in his attacks and counter and time Metcalf coming in on the inside. Metcalf looked very predictable compared to Hogan, who has now found his rhythm with his feet and variations in his movement.
The sixth round saw Metcalf continue with the pressure, landed a body shot at the halfway point, and saw Hogan spit out his mouthpiece intentionally, which the referee warned Hogan for doing. Metcalf finished the round strongly with a chopping right hand which wobbled Hogan.
Signs of fatigue were starting to show for Hogan in the seventh, who was sporting a cut over his right hand following a head clash from the previous round. Hogan was constantly pushed onto the ropes, with Metcalf imposing his size onto Hogan. Metcalf was able to work on the inside in what proved to be a very dominating round for the challenger.
Round eight was a tighter affair, with Hogan looking to respond with several sharp unorthodox shots in the opening half of the round. However, Metcalf was able to finish on the front foot with some short sharp hooks to the body as Hogan again looked visibly fatigued.
Nine was a scrappy affair with very little quality with Hogan boxing and moving and landing an eye-catching right hook before pivoting away from Metcalf, despite both men falling to the canvas following a tangling of legs.
Metcalf had a much better round ten with the better and clinical shots landed in an affair which is torrid due to the holding of Hogan and causing much anger to Joe MacNally, who could be heard ringside calling for something to be done to stop the holding.
Hogan could negate Metcalf’s work with his quick footwork returning and countering Metcalf with some counters in round eleven. However, frustration mounted after Hogan spat out his mouthpiece again, with Hogan being warned by the referee that a point would be removed if he did it again.
The final round and after a fast start from Metcalf, who wanted to get on Hogan’s chest, the mouthpiece came out again and true to his word, the referee docked a point away from Hogan. The remainder of the round saw Metcalf seeking to land at any cost in a fight low on quality, frustrating but entertaining due to the cat-and-mouse nature of the fight.
After completing the twelve rounds, all three judges ruled in favour of Metcalf with scores of 117-110 x2 & 115-112.
Lightweight contender, Gary Cully (16-0, 10KOs), suffered the first defeat of his career in a brutal fashion, having been knocked down two times in round three of a scheduled ten rounds against Jose Felix (39-6-1, 30 KOs).
Matchroom Boxing had highly and rightly praised Cully due to his destructive and promising performances over the previous twelve months.
The opening two rounds were tame and quiet; however, in the third round, Felix burst into life with a big right hook sending Cully down. Felix stepped on the gas pedal and flurried several shots to Cully, who was on unsteady legs and wobbling, before returning to the canvas. Cully attempted to hold and survive and was visibly hurt, and it could be argued that the fight continued for far too long. Eventually, the towel was thrown into the ring by Cully’s trainer, Pete Taylor, preventing Cully from receiving any more unnecessary punishment.
