McCarthy Maintains Perfect Record with Stoppage Win
Kilkenny’s Brandon McCarthy moved to 7-0 as a pro in the early hours of Sunday morning as he secured a fifth round stoppage over Ezequiel Flores.
Introduced to the ring as ‘the hard striking Irish lightning’, the 16 time National champ’ delivered a performance that lived up to that billing, producing what could be considered his most complete professional performance to date.
McCarthy controlled the distance right from the off, with the former St Michaels Athy man using sharp footwork and astute shot selection to keep his shorter opponent at bay while searching for opportunities to land his check left hook.
Flores attempted to close the distance through lunging attacks, but the Kilkenny native capitalised on his opponents square stance and found multiple openings to land heavy hooks to the midsection.
McCarthy began to find his rhythm in the second, investing heavily in the left hook both to the body and the head which were set up by long-rang strikes thanks to both his height and reach advantage.
His jab proved to be an effective first line of defence, disrupting Flores’ attempts to get inside, while the aforementioned ‘check lefts’ punished the shorter man whenever he tried to advance.
The third really saw McCarthy’s shot selection come into play. Rather than relying on volume alone, he mixed swift combinations from in close with accurate work from range, double and tripling up on the left to the body on occasion.
One particularly impressive combo began with a straight right from distance, before the LA-based Irishman ripped a number of hooks to the body, before piercing Flores’ guard with the jab and finishing with yet another straight right hand.
By the fourth, a cut had opened above Flores’ left eyebrow, and his frustration began to grow in tandem with the laceration. McCarthy continued to move in and out of range, and appeared to enjoy himself near then end of the round as he playfully pawed at Flores with a couple of shots.
Flores came out aggressively in the fifth, and what proved to be final round, as he charged forward in an angered attempt to turn the tide.
With Flores backed up against the ropes, McCarthy delivered the final sequence. A vicious right hand to the body visibly hurt the Mexican-American, before the Kilkenny man moved his attention upstairs and landed a sharp one-two to the head. He then unleashed the one weapon he had utilised all night, as a mean left hook to the body sent Flores to the canvas.
The referee began his count but quickly waved off the contest, as Flores was in visible pain from a sustained attack to the body across 14 minutes of boxing, awarding McCarthy the second stoppage win of his professional career.
