Bizarre end to Croke Park bout as Thomas Carty falls out of ring

Boos rang out around the ground as a replay showed Dave Allen hitting Carty on the back of the head.

Thomas Carty rises to his feet after falling out of the ring. Piic INPHO/Ben Brady

There was an extraordinary conclusion to the co-main event at Katie Taylor’s Croke Park show as Dublin’s Thomas Carty fell through the ropes in the first round of his bout against heavyweight Dave Allen.

Carty toppled out of the ring after one minute and 22 seconds in the first round. On the advice of the ringside doctor, it was declared a no-contest. Boos rang out around the ground as a replay showed Allen hitting Carty on the back of the head.

The bout had just started to take off when the remarkable incident occurred. Allen had been standing close to the ropes and moved to the side. Carty was slow back to his feet and required oxygen before he made for the dressing room.

It was the second confusing conclusion to a fight on the card. Paddy Gallagher’s victory over Paul Ryan was overturned in the opener. Almost an hour after the Belfast boxer had his hand raised, it was announced the result would be reversed and Ryan was announced as the winner.

CARTY THROUGH THE ROPES 😯#AllenCarty #TaylorPili pic.twitter.com/RCkqrbIxcT

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) September 5, 2026

At the time, his team were visibly furious with the result. It is believed a clerical error on the scorecard decision led to the confusion.

A sellout crowd soon moved on from the anticlimactic affair as they looked ahead to watching Taylor attempt to become a three-time undisputed world champion in the main event against Flora Pili.