BELFAST – Two decades of friendship was ditched in the dressing room when Belfast cruiserweights Tommy McCarthy and Steven Ward emerged for a fight that both previously interpreted as being all-or-nothing, with the loser facing up to retirement.
It was Ward who breathed new life into his career, by scoring two knockdowns on his way to a sixth-round stoppage and the biggest win of his near-10-year career.
The crowd was split, with boos and cheers for both during their introductions, and while there was respect when they met center ring to touch gloves, there was no sign of camaraderie.
Ward estimated that they had sparred some 1,000 rounds through the years, and the opener could have been one of those gym rounds because neither did a great deal. Ward looked to jab to the body and McCarthy waited to counter.
Ward thumped in a right to the body in round two, and fended an oncoming McCarthy off with a jab, but Tommy started to relax into the fight and just when he looked for a big overhand right, he found himself on the seat of his gold trunks courtesy of a left hook as he tried to throw the same shot.
McCarthy had said Ward had never hurt him in the spars. But this time he had.
Ward came out for the third buoyed by his success, and the action heated up.
Ward kept trying to stare down McCarthy after each session to let him know their friendship counted for little. McCarthy seemed distant, and lacking in focus.
Ward kept up with his jab to the body as a lead in the fourth, and McCarthy tried to time him with overhand rights. A left hook found a spot on the side of Ward’s head, but “The Quiet Man” stood firm and shot out more lefts to the body.
Ward was busy to open the fifth and outworked McCarthy while maintaining his investment to the body.
Forty seconds into the sixth McCarthy was down again, this time as a delayed reaction from a right hand. Once again Tommy made it back to his feet, but as Ward piled in behind both hands McCarthy’s team climbed the steps to try and get the attention of the referee Hugh Russell Jnr to stop it, despite the official – with his back to them – making his own assessments. Ward’s corner then climbed the steps to point out that McCarthy’s team wanted it to be stopped. Regardless of either corner, as Ward banged away with both hands, it was finally halted after 1.17 of the sixth.
Ward, 15-4 (4 KOs), wheeled away and jumped for joy having kept his career alive, and the friends finally congratulated one another. McCarthy falls to 21-7 (10 KOs).
