‘Wise Up’ – Straight Talking Anthony Cacace Inspires Tommy McCarthy

Anthony Cacace didn’t just inspire Tommy McCarthy to fight on, he all but ordered him to continue.

‘The Apache’s’ world title win and how the 36-year-old is enjoying his Indian Summer has motivated a lot of post-30 operators, particularly in Ireland.

However, in the case of McCarthy, he has been jolted by the IBF world champion’s words as well as his actions.

‘The Mack Attack’ revealed he was considering retirement post his defeat to January defeat to Cheavon Clarke. The former European Champion told Cacace as much only to be countered with a hard-hitting ‘Wise Up’!

The 36-year-old told McCarthy he would be right back in the Cruiserweight mix with a good win and could then take advantage of the Middle East’s gra for boxing at present.

As a result, ‘The Mack Attack’ looks to get back to winning ways when he fights Ryan Labourn on Conlan Boxing’s SSE Arena card this weekend.

“A few months away and a wee break got my hunger back and when I got back into training I knew I needed to get the head down,” McCarthy told the Irish News.

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“I’ve been watching all the fights out in the Middle East – guys I have boxed and sparred with all getting these big fights. And then Anto, everybody knows he’s my good mate from when we were kids, I was training with him in his camp, just training alongside him.

“I told him: ‘I think I’m finished’.

“He says: ‘Tommy, you need to wise-up, look at the money there is to make, all you need is one win and you’re back in the mix. Look at me, look what I’ve done.’”

“I told Mark (Dunlop, his manager) to get me a fight and then this Conlan show came up.”

The Paddy Gallagher trained, McCarthy says he goes into the fight in great shape and will look to maintain that level of fitness in case he gets a last-minute offer.

“I’m in great shape. I’ve trained like I’m getting ready for a last-minute phone call offering me something big.

“Since 2022 that’s the way it has been. All my big fights since the first Chris Billam-Smith fight have been short notice. The European title fight in Poland was four weeks’ notice, Clarke (in January) was five weeks’ notice, the chance to fight for the world title last year was three weeks’ notice…

“That’s the way it has been and I realised it’ll happen again so I want to be in shape for it from now on so I don’t get talk on the hop. When you’re boxing at a high level you need a full camp – five weeks’ isn’t enough to train for world-level boxing so you have to live the lifestyle, you have to be ready to go.