Paddy Donovan went more rounds than ever before to remain perfect as a pro.
The Andy Lee-trained welterweight prospect dialed up the pressure and broke down veteran fringe contender Lewis Ritson. A late surge forced referee Howard Foster to stop the fight at 0:32 of the ninth round Saturday at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.
Both fighters were predictable for much of the bout. Donovan, a 25-year-old southpaw from Limerick, Ireland, was persistent with his body attack. Defense was an issue, however, as he was unable to slip Ritson’s right hand over the top.
Action was competitive through seven rounds before Donovan turned a corner in the eighth. Ritson was pinned along the ropes late as he was forced to absorb body shots and right hooks up top. The Brit barely made it out of the round but clearly had little left in his arsenal.
Donovan (14-0, 11 knockouts) picked up on that development and didn’t waste any time to close the show. A barrage of punches left Ritson unable defend himself or respond, which forced the stoppage.
Ritson (23-4, 13 KOs) has now suffered three stoppage defeats within his past five fights. The rapid decline came after a highly questionable win over former IBF lightweight titlist Miguel Vazquez in Oct. 2020.
Donovan had never fought past the eighth round through his first thirteen pro fights. His deepest win inside the distance came in his last fight. Donovan halted Williams Herrera in the seventh round of their Jan. 27 battle in Belfast.
Another Irish southpaw claimed a win on the undercard. Gary Cully (18-1, 10 KOs) outpointed Belgium’s Francesco Patera (29-5, 11 KOs) over ten rounds in their lightweight battle. Scores were 96-94, 96-94 and 98-92 for Cully, who won his second in a row.
Both bouts aired on the undercard of the Josh Taylor-Jack Catterall 2 undercard.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE RING FOR FREE VIA THE NEW APP NOW. SUBSCRIBE NOW TO ACCESS MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF BACK ISSUES.
The post Taylor-Catterall 2 Undercard Results: Paddy Donovan Stops Lewis Ritson In 9th; Gary Cully Wins appeared first on The Ring.
