Conah Walker produced a stunning 12th-round knockout over
Pat McCormack to earn serious bragging rights in one of the domestic fights of the year.
McCormack's career has been a stop-start one since turning pro after his silver medal success at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and tonight things got the better of him at Salle des Etoliles in Monte Carlo, Monaco, live on
DAZN.
"I know he's a great fighter," Walker said after his epic victory. "People watch me and think 'he's not that good' but I do little things. I've been doing this since 18 yers old and I keep getting better, no-one's gonna take that off me, I've just changed my life.
"I'm expecting my second baby, there was a massive carrot dangling there, and I've just changed that baby's life.
"Boxing is 90 per cent in the mind, you can be as fit as you want, but if you haven't got the mind right ... I'm very determined, I believe I can win a world title, the goal posts have moved."
Walker is the British welterweight champion but his title wasn't on the line due to British Boxing Board of Control rules. Had he lost, the title would've become vacant.
McCormack started the fight well and arguably won the opening three off his back foot but things took a turn in the mid rounds, with Walker's pressure beginning to pay off.
The sixth round saw Walker plod forward with a high guard, lefts and rights beginning to land on a tired McCormack, who would return fire with one-twos and uppercuts when his energy would allow him too.
The tide turned again, however, in the eighth round as McCormack, seemingly having gained a second wind, would move around the ring easier, landing harder shots on Walker, particularly with right uppercut.
The ninth round saw McCormack enjoy his best round since the early stages of the fight, connecting with vicious uppercuts, body shots and a left hook which looked to have stunned Walker.
Wolverhampton's Walker came back once again in the 10th round. Willed on by his trainer Jamie Moore to keep up with his pressure, he would tire McCormack, not for the first time in the fight. By the end of the round, McCormack, who gave up some serious ground on the inside, looked dazed and legless once the bell rang.
More of the same came from Walker in the 11th but it was in the 12th where things unravelled for 9/1 favourite McCormack.
Walker gave it his all in the final stanza, providing perhaps his liveliest work-rate of the fight, landing yet more right hands and left hooks. But just as McCormack looked ready to go, his mouthpiece came out.
Once McCormack put it back in, Walker jumped on his prey immediately, swarming him with every punch in his repertoire, sending McCormack through the ropes and out for the count.
Walker will now likely look for a rematch with IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker, who he lost to on points in a brilliant, back-and-forth contest last year.
McComb stops Micallef
In the opening bout of the night, Sean McComb beat hometown man Hugo Micallef in a 10-round junior welterweight contest.
Micallef, 'The Prince of Monaco', went down off a perfectly-timed left hand in the third round and things got worse for him in the sixth after taking a knee off a whipping body shot.
McComb capped off his punch-perfect performance with a two more left hands to the head in the eighth round to finish proceedings.
Fisher vs. Balaz
Johnny Fisher stopped Ivan Balaz in the fourth round of their heavyweight contest.
Fisher was fighting for the first time since his stoppage loss to Dave Allen in May and was in danger in the first round against against Balaz, going down after after a flurry on the inside from the underdog. The knockdown wasn't called but it was clear once Fisher rose to his feet that he was hurt.
However, under the tutelage of new trainer Tony Sims, the 'Romford Bull' steadied himself and got the stoppage he craved three rounds later after landing multiple knockdowns off right hands.