BELFAST'S Colm Murphy took on Dublin’s Jono Carroll on the Cacace-Dickens undercard in the 3Arena on Saturday night. Murphy went into the fight unbeaten with an impressive (16-0) record whilst the more experienced Carroll looked to build on his 25-3-1 record.
Carroll’s last outing came one year ago with a unanimous decision win over Alexander Prado in Dubai but he showed little signs of ring rust and got straight to work from the opening bell. The younger man by seven years, Murphy last fought in February where he claimed the Commonwealth Featherweight title. On Saturday the vacant IBO Super-Featherweight strap was up for grabs.
The fight was incredibly close throughout the first eight rounds. At this stage Carl Frampton who was ringside had it scored as even. Murphy used his height to his advantage and was patient throughout, picking his shots and moving in and out of range.
The 33-year-old Carroll called upon all of his experience to become a nuisance and attempted to outmuscle Murphy who was making a step up in weight for the clash. Rarely out of camp, Murphy has a big engine and never appeared tired through the full 12 rounds. Ultimately Murphy was a little too cautious, he was ready to throw but lacked the combinations and that decisive blow in the closing rounds.
Both men stood beside the referee looking nervous as they awaited the results, particularly Murphy who may have sensed the judges would favour the home fighter. Upon the closing bell Carroll circled the ring with premature celebrations, either feeling he had done enough, maybe hoping to convince the judges that he had.
The Dublin man got the win through split decision. Relief for Carroll who would have been desperate to avoid defeat at 33. Murphy will learn from this and go again. He certainly has the right to feel aggrieved by the result and on another night his hand could have been raised.
