Chev Clarke stops Brave Tommy McCarthy on his feet
It was a case of plenty of guts but no glory for Tommy McCarthy in Belfast tonight.
‘Big Tommy’ attempted a big performance against rising Matchroom star Cheavon Clarke but was eventually stopped by the big punching star.
‘The Mack Attack’ showed flashes of quality and may have pipped some of the early rounds but once he came under a big barrage at the end of the third only one result looked likely.
England’s Clarke went for the kill in the fourth and got it. In fairness to the popular Irish cruiserweight, he went out on his feet and throwing.
McCarthy had revealed he went into this fight fitter than ever, but it may have been he got right at the wrong time and for the wrong fight, as Clarke looks capable of doing world level damage in the division.
The defeat was the the 33-year-old’s sixth in 26 fights and people will wonder if he will follow in his close friend and Whiskey and White co-host Tyrone McKenna’s footsteps and call it a day.
Clarke came out looking to bully the Belfast man in the first, marching forward and trying to get his head on McCarthy’s chest. ‘Big Tommy’ did find himself backed up against the ropes on occasion but began to have success from distance with straight shots and finished the round with a nice make him miss make him moment.
The second was similar Clarke starting fast but McCarthy was the better from range in the second half. He had the crowd off their feet when he made the Olympian fall short and fired back with a right hand and got an old-school Ulster Hall cheer when he landed an uppercut on the bell.
McCarthy looked to match his foe for workrate at the start of the third and got the better of some close quarter exchanges, although his corner were screaming for him to ‘step back and shoot’.
‘The Mack Attack’ was landing more regular but Clarke didn’t look to perturbed and scored big in the last 10 seconds of the stanza, jumping on the former Olver St Plunkets man searching for a finish.
The fourth started the same way the third ended with ‘C4’ giving McCarthy rope burn and landing thudding shots. One right hand finally forced the Belfast man to drop to the canvas.
Possibly buoyed by the home crowd McCarthy got to his feet and Steve Grey allowed him to fight on – and fight he did.
The fighter who has been a real servant to Irish boxing was immediately put under pressure and had every right to revisit the canvas such were the shots that landed.
However, he went out swinging and on his feet, throwing right up until three consecutive right hands to the body forced the referee to step in 1:28 into the round.
