Lamont Roach Jr. Stops Feargal McCrory in Round 8
In the first defense of his title, WBA super featherweight champion Lamont Roach (25-1-1, 10 KO’s) stopped Feargal McCroy (16-1, 8 KO’s) by way of eighth round TKO.
To open the match, the challenger stepped right to Roach and applied immediate pressure. Unfortunately for him, despite his tactics, McCory was not able to score much offense effectively.
Even worse for him, Roach was able to establish a very sharp and accurate lead left hook. Along with his nifty offense, the champion smoothly slid around the ring, evading the greater majority of McCory’s shots with slick defense. The situation got progressively worse for McCory who was hurt at the end of the second, forcing him to hold for dear life in the closing moments. To begin the third, a balance-disrupting shot caused McCory’s gloves to touch the canvas, prompting referee Malik Waleed to administer the mandatory eight count.
Then at the end of the fourth round, Roach stabbed McCory with sharp left hooks to the body which forced the challenger to the canvas on two separate occasions. He actually showed a great deal of heart by unfolding from his curled position and soldiering on. Surprisingly, in the fifth and sixth rounds, McCory did his best work. Once again he pressed Roach relentlessly and was able to corral him along the ropes with regularity. Yet, a lot of this success came because Roach briefly abandoned his slick boxing in order to wait for single, big-shot opportunities.
With the coming of the seventh however, Roach re-established his dominance while fighting on the outside. From this position, the champ hammered and pummeled McCory for nearly the whole three minutes. Rather predictably, as Roach began thumping McCory again in the eighth, his own corner threw in the towel to save him from himself. As a result, Roach collected his scalp by way of eighth round TKO in a fun hometown fight.
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