The Fight in the Dog – Carl McDonald wants more titles following sensational BUI Celtic belt win

Already outsized and an underdog, the news that Carl McDonald‘s BUI Celtic super bantamweight title fight with Colin O’Donovan was to be moved up to the featherweight class looked to be another advantage for the Cork fighter.

Perhaps it was, but Jobstown’s McDonald wasn’t going to be denied on Saturday night at Good Counsel GAA Club in Drimnagh.

McDonald gave the performance of his life in the ‘Celtic Clash 6’ headliner, outboxing O’Donovan, matching him for strength, and even dropping the Youghal warrior en-route to a unanimous decision points win..

McDonald made a fast start but, in a phonebooth ring with a spongy canvas, it initially seemed as though O’Donovan – who fought for the super featherweight belt last time out – had the tools to break him down.

Again, nobody told McDonald this, and the 28-year-old Dub gave as good as he got in the exchanges and proving the old adage that it’s not about the size of the dog in the fight.

That said, a fight was not the plan but adjustments were made and McDonald [4(0)-2(0)] took a deserved title win.

Afterwards he explained how “the gameplan was to box and move and you saw in the first round that he couldn’t get near me. But, to be honest, the contest moving made me heavy on my feet.”

“I realised I had to box but move less. I was trying to tee him up with the right hand and it was landing all night along with a couple of nice left hooks.”

“Every time I went back to the corner Eddie [Hyland, coach] was telling me to make sure I kept boxing, less bouncing, more boxing. I was making angles and picking my shots.”

“Obviously Colin is a big guy, he’s a strong guy, and there were times in there where there was no choice and I had to stand there and trade leather – and that’s what we did and we came out on the better side.”

“I brought in a new strength and conditioning coach, Paddy McGuinness, and he deserves a lot of credit for this, he has me in the best shape of my life.”

“I’m lucky to have Paddy along with Tommy [McCormack] and Eddie, the best cutman in the business, the best coach in the business, the best management in the business.”

There were signs that McDonald was starting to lag in the seventh round but he dug deep and uncorked a perfect bodyshot that put O’Donovan down.

While O’Donovan rose and gave it a good go in the final round, the knockdown certainly took the wind out of his sails and stopped what looked to be the start of a momentum swing in tis tracks.

‘The Cobra’ described how it was a cracking shot, just a cracking shot, and that’s the shot that Eddie’s been working with me on the past week – stepping out to the left and whipping the right hook in to the body.”

“I felt it sink in – I was shocked myself that he went down but it was sweet, really, really sweet.”

“It takes two to tango and I have to give Colin a lot of credit, it was a pleasure to fight Colin and it was an absolute war. I think the crowd enjoyed it and I know me and Colin enjoyed it because we’re the same sort of stupid, we love a scrap.”

With Eric Donovan vacating the title to allow it to be on the line for his stablemates, some have suggested that McDonald now could face the Kildare featherweight for the Irish title.

The Tallaght small man, however, has ruled this out, with a defence of the belt in an all-Jobstown battle with Dylan McDonagh perhaps being a more likely outcome.

“Jesus, yeah, I’m a very small super bantamweight. Them featherweights are bleedin’ huge, I make super bantamweight easily,” noted McDonald before outlining an Irish title goal.

“I want to win an Irish title, that won’t be my only title, this is only the start of my titles.”

“I want the Irish title and I want to see if we can put a stamp on the European scene.

“I’ll fight anybody, you only live once. Records are for DJs, if you win, you win, if you don’t, you don’t – simple as.”

Photo Credit: Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)