CALLING IT A DAY
Mccomb and Cully in blistering form, while Joyce retires Haskins, writes Andy Whittle
Former world titlist Lee Haskins hangs up his gloves after losing in Belfast
ON a night when Belfast fight fans had two shows to choose from, no fewer than three of the evening’s nine bouts at the Ulster Hall (MTK) were scheduled for 10 rounds.
Nominal bill-topper was a superlightweight clash between unbeaten Belfast southpaw Sean Mccomb and Argentina’s Mauro Godoy, whose father Bruno had been blown away inside a round by Chris Eubank 25 years earlier just down the Lisburn Road at the nowclosed King’s Hall.
Godoy junior didn’t succumb quite that early, but it quickly became apparent that, in against a superior operator and with a somewhat reluctant attitude to engage, he would struggle to go the distance.
For the best part of two rounds Mauro threw precious little and by the start of the fourth Sean, on top, confident, and controlling proceedings, was starting to up the tempo.
He did receive a couple of warnings for indiscretions from referee Marcus Mcdonnell, but it mattered not. Steadily breaking the visitor down, three particularly one-sided sessions followed before – and it didn’t come as the biggest surprise – the third man was called across to the visitor’s corner. The Argentine duly retired prior to the seventh citing a damaged jaw.
An all-southpaw affair with the vacant Irish lightweight title up for grabs was a highly anticipated north-south showdown between unbeaten pair Gary Cully of Naas in the Republic and highly popular local Joe Fitzpatrick.
It was over almost before it began – just 98 seconds had elapsed when referee David Irving leapt in to halt proceedings.
Fitzpatrick had already been sent over backwards by a huge left-right, being given the benefit of the doubt after rising a little too quickly. He was rocked again by another hefty left from his fellow portsider as the pair whaled away before being stopped after falling victim to a sustained burst upstairs.
The tattooed Cully, at well over six foot and a lefty to boot, is going to prove an awkward proposition for anyone.
There was an early finish too in the evening’s maiden 10-round contest which saw former Irish Olympian David Oliver Joyce, halted by Nottinghamshire stylist Leigh Wood last time out and now down at super-bantamweight, stopping and retiring Bristol veteran Lee Haskins.
The former IBF bantamweight champion, having just turned 37, had returned to the ring late last year following a near two-year spell of inactivity.
With his left knee in a support strap, Haskins made by far the better start, finding the body with a number of decent lefts. Picking his shots nicely, he opened a lead before, early in the third, Joyce enjoyed his first real success when a burst to the head forced Haskins onto the defensive. The stanza finished with Lee under fire in his own corner and Joyce nursing a small nick by the left eye.
Having picked up the pace, assumed the ascendency and bagged the fourth