Photo: Lawrence Lustig
WBA #8 jr welterweight contender Paul McCloskey (23-2, 12 KOs) was looking to build on his win over Amir Khan-conqueror Breidis Prescott against DeMarcus ‘Chop Chop’ Corley (39-19-1, 23 KOs), but the resurgent Corley had other ideas, rocking the former undefeated European light welterweight champion and world title challenger with a crunching right hook that forced referee Ian John Lewis to end the contest in the tenth round.
DeMarcus ‘Chop Chop’ Corley: “I thought the stoppage may have been premature because he likes to play possum, trick you into thinking he’s hurt then bite right back. But I’ll definitely take it and I boxed right to plan. I rocked him a lot and that was tough because he’s hard to it and a really strong guy – he can bounce back but tonight was my night, I was confident I could do it and I’m confident I can fight for a world title again.”
Paul McCloskey: “I will have to sit down and figure out what went wrong. But you have to give DeMarcus a bit of credit. He is a quality operator. His record might tell a different story but he is a quality fighter. This was last chance saloon for this fellow so he came and gave it a good go. He caught me with a great shot. I thought I could have carried on but every fighter thinks he can fight on, so I am gutted. It is a massive, massive setback for me.”
