SEAN McComb fought for the second time this year as he took on Welshman Ben Crocker in Sheffield’s Cannon Medical Centre in front of a sell-out crowd. His last outing in June saw him get the decision over Argentinian Alexis Torres in a six round contest. That fight was more about getting rid of any ‘ring rust’ from a 14 month period of inactivity. This was a ten round fight and an opportunity for McComb to show he is back to his best.
The pair got right to work from the opening bell in a very lively first round. Crocker sent an early warning as he floored McComb with a big left hand as the Irishman left himself exposed in throwing a hopeful right himself. McComb was straight to his feet and looking more rattled than hurt. The fight didn’t really settle, the first five rounds remained just as energetic from both, Sean continuing to lunge in and out of range and trying to land with his right. The early knock down clearly was not affecting his confidence or making his corner re-think their strategy. Crocker looked sharp and countered well.
In the middle rounds McComb landed some powerful shots to the body but Crocker seemed to brush these off and always responded immediately with shots of his own. Despite landing a decent left in the seventh round Crocker did begin to tire and the Public Nuisance gradually took control of the fight. McComb continued to out-work Crocker until the final bell using his jab to great effect.
McComb improved as the fight went on, moving through the gears nicely and ultimately delivered another one of his boxing masterclasses. Showing patience when required, landing more than his opponent and largely staying out of trouble. No knock-out blows, but we have come to expect this from the West Belfast fighter who implements a ‘death by a thousand cuts’ strategy to perfection.
Rightfully he was crowned the new IBF European Super Lightweight Champion by unanimous decision. This will see him climb the rankings and attract bigger names in the division. McComb has told GBM Sports promoter Izzy Asif that he wants a Belfast show early next year. Dublin’s Pierce O’Leary is the obvious fight to make here. With McComb now at 20-2 and O’Leary at 17-0 they are perfectly matched from an experience point of view. Not to mention their contrasting styles of the heavy hitting, O’Leary and the tactician McComb would result in a fascinating match-up. As proven in recent weeks an all-Ireland clash is of huge appeal and would easily sell-out most venues across the island. A win for either man would put them in world title contention possibly later next year.
