Brutally Honest Tommy McCarthy outlines changed approach to Boxing
Tommy McCarthy has warned Cheavon Clarke not to read into his last fight, claiming it took for ‘the craic’ and not the continental honours that were up for grabs.
The rising Matchroom star labeled the Belfast fighter ‘a clown’ at the final press conference ahead of their Ulster Hall chief support this weekend, arguing that his most recent fight – a stoppage reverse to Michal Cieslak – was a joke.
The comedian laughed off the jibe and says the Olympian has made a big mistake if he’s paid any heed to the European title fight.
‘The Mac Attack’ claims he only agreed to fight Cieslak for the European title in Poland because he had nothing better to do.
Ireland’s 15th and only black European title holder even went as far as to suggest he didn’t train for the clash.
“Chev, don’t worry about the last fight I just went there for the craic. This time I’ve trained properly for it. It was a last-minute thing. Listen, don’t worry about the past, focus on the present,” McCarthy said.
“The last fight, I’m not even joking, I just went there because I had nothing else to do,” he adds before claiming he regained his love for boxing during mid-defeat.
“During that fight I was like, ‘you know what? I love this game, I love fighting’, and it just brought back a buzz for me because I hadn’t fought for like 14 months before that. That really got my passion back for boxing and got my head back in the game.”
There will be some Irish fans worried that the popular and talented Olver Plunketts graduate may have taken a similar approach to this weekend’s DAZN-broadcast chief support to Lewis Crocker’s clash with Jose Felix Jr.
McCarthy’s new coach, former pro Paddy Gallagher, assured earlier in the week that won’t be the case and McCarthy echoed the sentiment on Thursday.
“All [Clarke] needs to worry about is what’s happening on Saturday night. I’ve taken this fight seriously because I know he is a serious guy. I’ve trained properly so just worry about that.
“It’s a good fight for me. The WBA Title is on the line. The winner of this fight is going to go high up in the world rankings. This is almost like a World Title Eliminator – you’re putting yourself in line for a big title fight.”
