I just have to bide my time and keep building my reputation — Carty
THOMAS Carty has had little more than a handful of professional fights, but he knows what it is like to share the ring with some of the best heavyweights in the world. As a powerful southpaw, the Dubliner has been called up for sparring duty with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte, who is now his manager. It has given him a taste of the big time.
‘Being in there with these guys told me I am not too far away from the top in this sport and that is why I have kept at it. It is a hard life, a professional boxer. I know people think it is all glitz and glam, but when you are starting off, it is a long way from that. The way I see it is that it’s a short-term loss for what you hope will be a long-term gain.’
Carty (below) made his first impact with the wider boxing public with his impressive stoppage win over Scotland’s Jay McFarlane in the 3 Arena back in May. It won him his first belt, the Celtic heavyweight title. But more significantly, the crowd reaction for a bout so early in the evening made Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn sit up and take notice.
It means that Carty has a place on the card for Katie Taylor’s rematch with Chantelle Cameron on November 25th, where once again, his hometown will be out in force to support him. The 28-yearold would have gladly put his Celtic heavyweight belt on the line, but they have difficulty sourcing an opponent, so they might have to go further afield.
‘I am not at the stage yet where I can start calling people out, I have only had a few professional fights, so I will have just have to bide my time and keep building my reputation and my name,’ Carty says.
The impressive Dubliner comes across as intelligent and levelheaded in an interview. He has only been in the pro ranks a couple of years but is already making waves. And he admits that he sort of fell into this life, as he fell into the sport of boxing.
In his teens, he was a decent enough Gaelic footballer to be on Dublin underage development squads. But around 15 or 16, he was getting tired that some of his teammates at the Scoil Ui Chonaill club weren’t taking it as seriously as him and a friend convinced him to join the local boxing club. Within a year, he was an Irish champion.
‘I started going down to the Corinthians club. I was always athletic, had that from the Gaelic, and boxing came very quickly to me, discovered I had a bit of a talent for it.
‘The club had a lot of good boxers at that time, Kellie Harrington and Emmet Brennan were also there, and just from being around those, my hunger for the sport grew.
‘I don’t know if my ma and da even knew I was boxing at the time, they probably thought I was still going to Gaelic training whenever I left the house. And at the time, I was still trying to juggle the two, but boxing began to take over when more training was needed.
‘And I enjoyed the fact that it was an individual sport, it was all down to you if you won or lost. With the Gaelic, there were some lads on the team who didn’t take it as seriously as me, and that is why boxing eventually took over.’
He won a few national titles and became part of the IABA’s High Performance programme. ‘I was only starting out when Katie won gold in London,’ he remembers. ‘And now, I am boxing on the same card as her.’
Initially, his dream was to be an Olympian but his goals were altered when Covid-19 hit. Derek Chisora had an upcoming bout with Olesksandr Usyk, the slick Ukrainian southpaw who is now world champion. Chisora and his manager David Haye were looking for a southpaw with a similar style and Carty was sought out.
‘Chisora was very helpful to me, both himself and David Haye were very good in telling me about the business, and it was through them, I got sparring with AJ and the likes.’
Carty grew up in Phibsborough and will be one of the thousands of Bohemians supporters travelling to Aviva Stadium this afternoon to cheer on the Gypsies. ‘I wasn’t a massive soccer fan growing up, like I said, I was more into the GAA, but like anyone from this area, I really appreciate what Bohs have done here, they have made a massive difference to the place and they should be supported.’
His ultimate dream is to fight for a title on a card in Dalymount Park. The last time the famous old venue hosted a boxing show was in 1981, when popular Derryman Charlie Nash defended his European lightweight title there. The redevelopment work means that goal may have to be put on the long finger.
For now, Carty is happy just to be part of the show at 3 Arena in two weeks’ time, one of the fighters who has brought big-time boxing back to the capital city.
‘It’s great to see, the sport went through a bit of a rough patch in Dublin. But the success of the last show and this one coming up proves there is an appetite for it here.
‘Dublin is a boxing city. It needed a megastar to bring it back and I don’t think it would have happened if it wasn’t for Katie Taylor and everything she has done in the sport. Everyone should be grateful for her for that, because it is Katie that has brought big-time boxing back to Ireland. And now she has created an opportunity for fighters coming through to make a name for themselves. That’s what I want to do.’
Being in there with these guys told me I am not too far away from the top
Dubliner making waves and happy to be on Taylor rematch card
Dublin is a boxing city... It needed a megastar to bring it back