ONE PUNCH KO – Sensational Gary Cully announces himself with Miguel Vazquez Knockout

Gary Cully underlined his world-level capabilities tonight in Nottingham with one punch.

The Naas lightweight sensationally knocked out former world champion Miguel Vazquez at the Motorpoint Arena on the undercard of Leigh Wood v Mick Conlan.

Following a cagey start, a third round flash knockdown was followed by a pin-point one-punch finish in the fifth as Cully announced himself on a big Matchroom card in front of promoter Eddie Hearn.

While it was an early slot on the DAZN-portion of the broadcast, it was on paper the toughest fight of the Sarto southpaw’s career to date.

For Cully it was his first fight since a short-notice destruction of Viorel Simion last Summer. That proceeded a statement-making stoppage of Kazakh Viktor Kotochigov but niggling injuries prevented him building on this in the second half of 2021.

This medium-term break only added to the impressive nature of the step-up versus Vazquez – a match-up that was somewhat frustratingly framed as a yardstick or a platform for the rising Irishman rather than a legitimately big fight.

Of course, 35-year-old Vazquez has not held a world title belt in over seven years but his pedigree is inarguable. Add to this the fact that he was back down competing in his favoured lightweight division and the hotly disputed nature of two of his more recent defeats to established light welters Ohara Davies and, especially, Lewis Ritson meant that Cully perhaps did not get enough credit for the challenge he was undertaking.

The fight heralded the ‘start’ of the card tonight as an event with a chorus of ‘Óle, Óle, Óle’  breaking out as the fighters were introduced. The opening exchanges were contested at close range with Vazquez perhaps looking to force the action on his inexperienced opponent.

The second, too, began with the Mexican charging Cully but the Kildare lefty responded with sharp counters – the first real shots of note in the fight – before moving  out of range for the second half.

Cully’s shorts, bedecked with pink tassles, bounced as the Irishman darted in and out, upping the pace in the third round. The pure speed of ‘The Diva’ then saw him score a flash knockdown, dropping Vazquez to one knee with a short left hand to bank a 10-8 round.

The ‘Titere Puppet’ came out firing in the fourth as Cully looked to walk him onto a big shot. Moving the fight to the ropes, uppercuts from Cully looked to be having an effect but it was long punches from mid-distance which had Vazquez on momentarily wooden legs.

And then it was all over, at the start of the fifth, with one straight left hand sending Vazquez down, almost innocuously. The Guadalajaran tried to rise but, like Kotochigov last year, fell down again and was counted out, sealing a sensational win for Cully.

The first lightweight to stop Vazquez, Cully moves to 14(8)-0 while the veteran drops to 44(17)-11(3)

From here, Cully could go anywhere. The lilywhite had name-checked most of the lightweight division’s big players throughout fight week. Those named – George Kambosos, Devin Haney, and Gervonta Davis – are all perhaps still a few fights away but the result tonight will send more than a few ripples and Cully could be dining at the sport’s top table sooner rather than later.