Thomas Carty tumbled dramatically through the ropes after absorbing a blow to the back of his head during the opening round of his bout against David Allen on the undercard of Katie Taylor's farewell event at Croke Park on Saturday. The fight was halted and ruled a no contest, but Carty's manager Mike Ofo insists the result should have been a disqualification for Allen.
The stoppage came at 1:22 of round one, after the referee consulted with ringside officials before waving off the contest. Carty received oxygen following his fall before making his way back to the dressing room, according to reports from the event.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Ofo laid out his grievance with the officiating and Allen's conduct.
I am very disappointed about what happened on Saturday night at Croke Park and the untimely halt to what should have been the crowning achievement of Thomas' career so far. Thomas was pumped to be fighting on such an historic event in front of such an enormous crowd at the home of Irish sport and was gutted by the bizarre turn of events.
Ofo was emphatic in his assessment of the illegal strikes.
What happened was plain for all to see with Allen blatantly fouling him twice in quick succession in response to Thomas' punishing jab that immediately marked up Allen's face. The second, illegal rabbit punch to the back of Thomas' head knocked him clean through the ropes and there is only one outcome under the rules of boxing in those circumstances - a DQ loss for Allen.
Allen offered a different account of events on his YouTube channel, attempting to explain the final punch.
I went up a bit close, caught him with a left hook to the body and rattled him a little bit to the head. I think, then he threw a combination, knocked my head back with an uppercut. But then he grabbed me frantically. I'm not aiming for the back of anyone's head ever, but I am aiming about here [the ear]. It wasn't a big shot; I tried to clip him round the ear as I always do, and he's turned his head into it. It's gone round the back of the head.
Allen continued his explanation by suggesting the outcome might have been different had the incident occurred elsewhere in the ring.
From there on, I don't know. It's not for me to say what's happened. He's a good guy, I do like him. I've caught him behind the head, not on purpose; he's turned into, and he's gone through the ropes. At the time, I said to the referee, 'Are you not going to count?' If that was in the middle of the ring, I'd have won by stoppage.
Ofo rejected Allen's narrative entirely and expressed confidence that Carty would have prevailed had the fight continued.
I see he is already busy trying to set a narrative but that is gaslighting and Thomas and the team were all confident that he would have stopped Allen in the later rounds, particularly in light of the terrible shape Allen turned up in. Frankly, he should change his nickname from 'The White Rhino' to 'The White Hippo.'
The 30-year-old Carty has endured misfortune in his recent career. Last year he suffered his sole professional defeat after sustaining a freakish knee injury, and this latest setback came at a particularly frustrating moment on one of Irish boxing's biggest stages.
According to Boxing News, Allen has indicated he may petition the boxing board to overturn the no contest ruling in his favour. However, Ofo signalled Carty's willingness to settle the matter in a rematch once the governing body reviews the decision.
However, once the BUI have reconsidered the referee's decision and done the right thing, we will happily give Allen a rematch and they can settle it once and for all - hopefully inside the ring this time!
What happens next
The Boxing Board of Ireland will need to examine the referee's decision and determine whether any disciplinary action is warranted. Allen has signalled his intention to approach the board about overturning the result, setting up a potential administrative dispute before any rematch can be arranged. No official hearing date or rematch timeline has been announced, leaving both fighters in limbo as the controversy surrounding the bizarre ending continues to dominate discussion in Irish boxing circles.
Allen declined to respond to Ofo's latest comments.
