Thomas Carty: We’re really on the cusp of something great here with boxing in Ireland

Thomas Carty. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

There never was a blueprint. The last Irish heavyweight to make some noise was Kevin McBride but when Thomas Carty started out he knew the landscape had shifted dramatically. He had to be different.

“I remember early in my career thinking, well, I guess I just won’t fight in Ireland as a pro,” says the Dubliner. Carty [10-0, 9KOs] will take on Ohio’s Dajuan Calloway [10-3, 8KOs] this Sunday at Madison Square Garden, six months after he delivered a stunning second round knockout at the 3Arena.

“I had fought on the Michael Conlan vs Leigh Wood undercard, I think I was a year as a pro and I remember talking about it. ‘I can’t see myself fighting in Ireland anytime.’ I always give credit to Katie, she really started it back. She brought big time boxing back in Dublin for the first time since the Bernard Dunne days.

“I think we’re starting to garner more mainstream media attention. I think we’re really on the cusp of something great here with boxing in Ireland. We are going to see a lot more headline acts in the 3Arena which is fantastic.” 

Carty has expertly charted his way to this point. He fought on both Katie Taylor-Chantelle Cameron undercards and developed a relationship with Cork’s Callum Walsh.

The Dillian Whyte managed southpaw made his own way. He spent his childhood being dragged around the building sites of Dublin, sleeping in vans or under stair cases, dreaming of becoming a professional footballer.

Boxing became his pursuit but the pathway wasn’t obvious. McBride beat Mike Tyson, Tyson Fury held the Irish title for a spell, otherwise Ireland is not rich with recent heavyweight history.

“From the beginning, you realise it isn’t going to be easy,” explains Carty.

“I was always under the assumption that if you have a professional boxing match people would start throwing bags of money at you, it is not like that at all. I would have been much better off financially if I had just got a normal 9-5 job. That is the risk we take. That is how it goes. We all take on that risk to try to get to the rewards.” 

This is an enormous opportunity. Carty realises that. The card is full of Irish talent. Walsh will headline, the highly-anticipated rematch of Olympian Emmet Brennan and Kerry's Kevin Cronin is also on the bill.

In preparation, he has sparred popular Cuban-Cork fighter Mike Perez. Every single fight except for his first one has ended with a KO. He knows there is a need to continue the streak.

“I’m really going for this fight. Not because of the calibre of opponent but the calibre of occasion. There will be a lot of people watching, I know more are tuning into my fight and I know I need to capitalise on that in MSG.” 

Watch Walsh vs Sutherland on Sunday 16th March on UFC Fight Pass.