Tyrone McCullagh vs. Josh Kennedy RBR

Live from Belfast, sláinte chugat!

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In the co-feature, Marco Oliver McCullough just overcame Ruddy Encarnación of Spain in a back and forth war to claim the IBO super featherweight international title.

 

Bonus match before the main event (and like it, a battle of young unbeaten prospects).

 

Pádraig McCrory vs. Sean McGlinchey, 4 rounds @ super middleweight

 

Round 1

McGlinchey out drilling lefts into the chest of his taller opponent to set tone. McCrory is able to step around him dropping in jabs and body shots to settle things down. McGlinchey is catching left jabs on his gloves and stepping in, waving a right hook up high, gunning for the head but falling short. McCrory is boxing tall, seeking out McGlinchey's face with the jab from outside and then quickly tying up when McGlinchey starts to march in close.

10-9 McCrory, close

 

This one's a bit messy.

 

Rematch of a 2014 encounter in the amateurs (nicked by Pádraig McCrory...who makes it 2-0 in the rivalry with a 40-35 decision here tonight)

 

Steven Ward vs. Rolando Paredes, 10 rounds @ light heavyweight

 

10-9 Ward but didn't have everything his way. His jab is a bit too loose and he isn't utilizing that height advantage, falling in and swapping telegraphed uppercuts with the Mexican. Got clipped a few times.

 

20-18 Ward, just sort of going through the motions as Barry Jones says. One-gear back-foot pitter-patter. Jabs and very slow, light body shots and looping rights while leaning partly away. Paredes for his part not exactly doing much to cut the ring off, raising up on his toes and headhunting, winging hooks powerfully but from too far out, not really bothering to get inside first.

 

Eight more dreary rounds of this? Total buzzkill fight, going to kill the mood before the main event.

 

30-27 Ward. Yawn.

 

Fourth was a much closer round, with as much clinching as feather-dusting by Ward, and Paredes getting closer with his big anti-aircraft hooking combos. Vicious blatant jumping headbutt from Paredes, reminiscent of Victor Ortiz. Stern warning but no point from the ref.

10-9 Ward but only just, and he now has a cut nose and looks demoralized.

40-36 Ward

 

10-9 Paredes, bullying Ward, ignoring his uppercutting flurries and shredding the bridge of his nose further with lead rights hands (as well as raising & grinding his left forearm against it when they clinch). Ward doing all he can to block out Paredes' hooking combos and still getting rocked around by them. Ward stepping back, landing a 1-1-2, but then retreating as Paredes lumps the body.

49-46 Ward