BELFAST'S Paddy Gallagher took on Dublin’s Paul Ryan in a middleweight contest in Croke Park on Saturday evening.
The fight was a messy one, not one of clean shots nor slick footwork with the pair grappling throughout. The Belfast man did land the biggest punch of the bout in the fifth with a huge right hand. Ryan was lucky to make it back to his corner at the end of the round and unfortunately Gallagher couldn’t build upon this momentum and inflict further damage in the sixth. It didn’t seem to matter though as the judges awarded him the win.
Hoisted into the air by his coach to celebrate the win and waving to fans he then returned to the changing room to receive treatment to his right eye. Almost an hour later the news was delivered that due to an error on one of the referee’s scorecards the decision was reversed and victory awarded to Paul Ryan.
Strangely Gallagher accepted the outcome surprisingly well, saying: "It is what it is." The 37-year-old retired from boxing in 2018 but returned to the ring last year after a seven year hiatus. Ryan moves to 12-2 and Gallagher drops to 17-7-1.
