A devastating first round knockout victory by Callum Walsh, in his WBC super welterweight Continental Americas title defense against Dean Sutherland, punctuated an evening of dramatic action at Madison Square Garden on St. Patrick’s Day eve as the event hailed “the biggest Irish boxing card in New York City history” lived up to its billing.
After having his way with Sutherland in the opening minutes, the southpaw Walsh threw two right jabs, a left cross and then nailed the Scottish challenger flush on the chin with a hard right. Arms splayed, Sutherland was out cold by the time he hit the canvas.
It went down in the record books as a KO at 2:45 in what was “King’ Callum’s third title defense. He upped his ledger to 13-0 [11 KOs], while raising his stock appreciably. Sutherland [19-2, 7 KOs] lost just for the second time.
“I feel very good,” Walsh, who’s ranked #6 by the WBC and touted as the fastest rising star in the sport by his brain trust, said after the brief beatdown. “He was a great opponent. I know at this weight every opponent is going to be tough and I keep getting stronger and better. I am destined to be one [of] the best fighters in the world.”
Trained by Freddie Roach and based in Los Angeles, the 24-year-old is expected back in the ring in July, according to his promoter Tom Loeffler, president of 360 Promotions.
‘FEARLESS’ EFFORT
In the co-feature, “Fearless” Feargal McCrory, survived a fourth round knockdown to fellow world title contender Keenan Carbajal to score an impressive stoppage in the eighth stanza. It was a world class performance by the Tyrone native [17-1, 9 KOs] nine months after suffering his first pro defeat in that quest for Lamont Roach’s WBA title in Washington, DC.
McCrory jumped on Carbajal from the first bell and never let off – not even when he hit the deck hard from a stunning Carbajal right counter out of the blue in the fourth. He beat the count and stayed close to Carbajal who failed to follow up on his luck -- the pasting he'd received to the head and body from McCrory apparently having knocked the stuffing out of the Arizona resident.
Fully recovered in the fifth round, McCrory had his man on the ropes again where they slugged it out.
Carbajal opened a cut above McCrory’s right eye in the sixth, but he was fighting on borrowed time himself. He was staggered by a McCrory left in the seventh and on the ropes, was dropped by a flurry of punches. He got up and was saved from another pummeling by the bell. It was a 60-second respite.
McCrory was on Carbajal again at the start of the eighth round. He was leveled by another left hook, and when he got up, McCrory rained more hooks on him, dropping him for the third and last time in the contest.
Referee Arthur Mercante had seen enough and waved it off 23 seconds into the round, leaving Carbajal, who’d dropped a 12-round unanimous points decision to IBO featherweight champion Hector Andres Sosa last June, with a 25-5-1 [17 KO] ledger.
“I'm happy with the performance,” said McCrory. “I was dropped. I was caught and I came back to win by stoppage. I felt that I was in control for the majority of the fight. No one has ever done that to him before. He’s competed at a high level and it's good to get back there after the June fight when I came up short.
“The crowd was incredible again. A big thank you to everyone involved.”
EMMET REPEAT
Their last scrap, for the vacant Boxing Union of Ireland Celtic super middleweight belt in Dublin last September, ended in a split decision with 2020 Irish Olympian Emmet Brennan getting the nod over Kevin “The Kingdom Warrior” Cronin.
The scoring this time after 10 rounds raised eyebrows among Cronin’s sizeable following in the crammed Garden: a unanimous decision for Brennan after the Kerry product seemed to have pressed the action.
All three judges scored it 98-92 or eight rounds to two in Brennan’s favor. The Matt Damon look-alike remained undefeated [6-0, 1 KO]. Cronin dropped to 9-3-1 [5 KOs].
“Eight rounds to two. I called it before it was announced,” said Brennan. “The first fight wasn’t a robbery. He's a warrior and he came to get it again. This fight was a lot easier than I thought it would be. It was our game plan. We were more prepared for this fight.
“The first one seems like we were not prepared at all. Now I’m 6-0 it was my first 10-rounder and now I’m looking for bigger fights and bigger opportunities. Hopefully, Dana White and the TKO Group will see that I’m ready and they can make it happen. The first fight didn’t feel like a win with all the noise that went on afterwards. I’m glad I had the chance to prove myself. I feel like I had another gear that I haven’t reached yet.”
CARTY HEARTBREAK
Undefeated and with nine KOs from his 10 wins going into his match, 255-lb heavyweight Thomas ‘The Bomber’ Carty was expected to reprise his explosive finishing in his clash with 409-lb banger Dajuan “The Destroyer” Calloway [10-3, 8 KOs] in an eight-rounder.
Following a cautious opening round, Carty attempted to throw a big hook in the second stanza. “He missed and twisted his knee,” trainer Paschal Collins told the Echo.
Carty crumpled to the canvas in pain. He got up and went down twice before the round ended. He was in pain and inconsolable in his corner as the fight doctor advised that the bout be stopped. It was ruled a TKO in Calloway’s favor.
The initial diagnosis, according to Collins, was a torn ACL in his left knee.
Carty’s injury was eerily similar to that suffered by “Mighty” Joe Ward on his pro debut in the main arena at the Garden in 2019. He also blew his knee in the second and had to forfeit his fight with Marco Delgado via TKO. He beat Delgado in a rematch two and half years later.
DEBUTANTS
Sean O’Bradaigh appeared to have done enough on his pro debut to earn a decision against the beefy Jose Manuel Florentino. Their four-round light heavyweight was scored a majority draw instead, to the surprise of many.
Donagh Keary, the other Irish debutant, outclassed the durable Geral Alicea-Roman, sweeping all four rounds.
