Thomas McCarthy promises to return stronger and better than ever

Mayfield teenager Thomas McCarthy has promised to learn from his first National Elite Championship final bout and “be back better”, while Rio Olympian Brendan Irvine has backed head coach Zaur Antia to get Irish boxing back on track.

Cork native McCarthy put up a gutsy effort at Dublin’s National Stadium on Friday night, testing European Games silver medallist Irvine over the first two rounds of their clash before the Belfast champion pulled away in the final round to retain his 52kg Irish flyweight title on a unanimous decision.

“I gave it my heart and that’s all I could do,” said first-time elite finalist McCarthy.