Dave Allen and Thomas Carty had a stage as big as they could have possibly imagined for their heavyweight fight this past Saturday. More than 83,000 Irish fans were in their seats at Dublin’s iconic stadium, Croke Park, to watch the popular Brit Allen and local favorite Carty lock horns as a precursor to Katie Taylor’s retirement fight.
But just 80 seconds into Round 1, Carty tumbled through the ropes and out of the ring in a bizarre scene, forcing their bout to be prematurely cut short and declared a no-contest.
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Both men reflected on the wild ending on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” Tuesday.
“I did get clipped in the back of the head the first time [in the first clinch] and thought nothing of it, got on with it,” Carty said. “… Ended up in a clinch [again] and just at that moment, I got caught with another punch in the back of the head within 10-15 seconds, and next thing I knew I was upside down, falling out of the ring.
“In the moment I can’t recall, I’m only going off what I see here from the videos, but I remember hitting a bench or something on the way down, and then again down onto the ground.”
Carty (11-1, 9 KOs) told Uncrowned that he suffered injuries to the back of his head and his neck as a result of the fall. The Irishman said he did try to get up and continue the fight, but his leg was trapped under a stool, preventing him from doing so.
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“The whole thing happened so fast — I just remember looking up, and there were like 20 people,” he said. “People in the ring looking down, photographers looking, ringside doctors looking, about 20 different people talking, and my coach was there as well.”
With Carty unable to get to his feet and thought to be in no condition to continue, the fight was called off on the ringside physician’s advice.
“At the time, I weren’t really sure what was going off,” Allen admitted. “It was half a round, and he went flying out of the ring. Weren’t really sure what was going off, weren’t sure if I was going to get disqualified, weren’t sure if I won the fight — weren’t really sure at all.”
After the unexpected ending, the result was unclear until ring announcer David Diamante made the no-contest official minutes later. The referee, ringside doctor and the local commission could be seen conferring on the broadcast.
If the referee deemed that Carty was hit by a legal punch and went through the ropes, Allen (27-9, 20 KOs) could have been declared the winner. If the punch to the back of the head was ruled intentional or the direct cause of the injury, Carty may have walked away with a contentious victory.
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Instead, the referee declared it an unintentional accident, and the fight ended in a no-contest.
“I don’t know [if he did it on purpose],” Carty said. “I don’t think he necessarily said, ‘Right, I’m going to punch Thomas on the back of the head.’ But that’s what happened.”
“I think [he was trying to utilize], like, old man tactics. He was obviously trying to clip me around the back of the ear, but it was just unnecessary, man. Completely unnecessary.”
“I don’t believe [he was looking for a way out],” Allen stated. “I spoke to Thomas, and he told me that he didn’t. I’m inclined to believe him. He’s a fighter, and I have to believe what he tells me. I have no hard feelings toward him, and that’s that, really.”
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Neither man accused the other of deliberately engineering the bizarre conclusion, although Carty remained critical of Allen’s final punches.
When the replay was shown on the big screens at Croke Park on Saturday, the crowd booed after Allen’s shots to the back of the head were played in slow motion. Many supporting Carty believe Allen’s illegal blows were intentional and caused Carty’s fall.
“I’m a rough fighter, not a dirty fighter,” Allen explained. “I’m pretty rough. Half the time I’m not looking where I’m punching, I just want to hit you.
“The first one went around the back of his head, but he was ducking into the shot. The second one, he rushed me and put his head down. I threw the right hand at his ear, he turned into it, and it hit him on the back of the head.”
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When Carty stayed on the floor outside of the ring for long after the fall, some skeptics online jumped to the conclusion that Carty opted to quit. The Irish heavyweight, however, told Uncrowned he was left dumbfounded as to how anybody watching the fight could reach that conclusion.
“The tone seems to be [online] that from the fight, I didn’t fancy it and was looking for a way out,” Carty said.
“What part in the whole fight, for the short time that it lasted, did I not fancy? Because — as far as I could see, having watched the fight back — it was me throwing punches and landing. The only two punches I got caught with were on the back of the head.”
“It’s just absurd [thinking I would try and throw the fight]. Having been sidelined for so long, after being injured, it took so much effort to get back — so much commitment from not just me but my team. My team has sacrificed so much time, alongside my own time.
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“Financially, it was a massive commitment to get back from the ACL [injury], the training that we put in. The pay isn’t amazing at this level of fights. I was gambling on getting the bigger fight after this one. I was fully prepared and fully ready to take this one. I thought I would be sitting here today, planning the next move. And all I can think about right now is getting the rematch.”
Carty made it clear he wants a second fight with Allen. And after the bizarre ending to Saturday’s encounter and the subsequent publicity generated, there’s no doubt it would be a big event with substantial interest — perhaps a headliner in its own right.
Allen, however, remains firmly uninterested in the prospect of a rematch.
“I know they want the rematch … [but] there’s nothing in it for me,” Allen explained. “I took the Croke Park fight because they offered me a deal for some of my fighters to box on their shows. I got six slots. … That was why I took the fight. That was the only reason, as well.”
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When a fight between two combatants in any combat sport is left without a definitive conclusion, there is often an urge from the public and, more importantly, the fighters to settle their unfinished business. Allen, though, doesn’t feel that way.
The British heavyweight revealed to Uncrowned that he has just one or two fights remaining in his career, and Carty is not part of that plan. Allen would instead like to end his career by winning the coveted British heavyweight title.
Allen vs. Carty may therefore be left as another one of boxing’s what-if stories.
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