Padraig McCrory Beats Leon Bunn Into Submission!
In the light heavyweight division, undefeated prospects Leon Bunn (18-1, (KOs) and Padraig “The Hammer” McCrory (15-9, 9KOs) battled to see who is ready to move on towards contender status.
The Hammer is a power puncher that can hurt opponents with both hands. When original opponent Daniel Blenda dos Santos pulled out due to injury, McCrory was more than happy to jump in to fight for the lightly regarded vacant IBO title. Equally important, he won the WBC International silver title after defeating Sergei Gorokhov in 2021. In his last outing, the hard-hitting McCrory stopped former title challenger Marco Antonio Periban.
Bunn had homefield advantage fighting in front of the crowd in Frankfurt, Germany. Furthermore, he is the more experienced fighter sharing the ring with former title challenger Enrico Koelling and tough journeyman Tomas Adamek. Unfazed by the change in opponent, Bunn is a good boxer with decent power that stopped his last opponent in the second round. He is ranked #8 by the WBO and #11 WBC, and once once won the IBF International title.
LANDING THE POWER SHOT EARLY
The fight started off slow as both men went through the usual feeling-out process. Bunn busted open McCrory’s nose with the jab. McCrory, ranked #8 by the WBA at super middleweight, switched from orthodox to southpaw while going to the body.
In the second round, The Hammer landed a punishing left hook over his opponent’s high guard, sending him to the canvas. Bunn narrowly escaped the round, and started the third round on wobbly legs.
Bunn tried to mount an attack with right hooks on the body. However, he got dropped again from a straight right hand, and despite getting up, he was in survival mode and barely made it to the end of the round. Going into the middle rounds, it became apparent the power of McCrory would eventually be too much as Bunn’s legs wobbled after every hard shot.
THE CORNER HAD SEEN ENOUGH
Over the next two rounds, Bunn showed heart by fighting on the inside and landing good shots to the body. Yet, he seemed to be taking the punches better as McCrory was throwing and landing bombs while looking for the homerun shot.
In the sixth round, McCrory poured it on while coming forward, landing left and right hooks, before putting Bunn down with a compact overhand right. Bunn got up, except this time the corner had seen enough and threw in the towel.
A zealous McCrory celebrated defeating the odds of coming up in weight and traveling on foreign soil to win the IBO title. This victory has officially made him a player in the division and could set the stage for big future bouts against fellow countrymen such as Craig Richards, Dan Azeez, Joshua Buatsi, and former super middleweight champion Callum Smith.
By: Garrisson Bland
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