Exciting times and big fights ahead for Gary Cully and Paddy Donovan after wins on Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall card
Gary Cully and Paddy Donovan both recorded victories in Leeds on Saturday night
by Robert Hynes · Irish MirrorEddie Hearn says "really big fights" now lie ahead for Gary Cully and Paddy Donovan after their respective victories on Saturday night in Leeds.
Naas native Cully (now 18-1) impressed in beating Belgian Francesco Patera via unanimous decision to claim the WBA Continental Lightweight Title on the Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall card before the Andy Lee-trained Donovan recorded the 11th stoppage victory of his career as he took his record to 14-0 by beating Newcastle's Lewis Ritson in the ninth round.
Cully was having his first fight since returning to winning ways with a split-decision win over Reece Mould on the Katie Taylor v Chantelle Cameron 2 card last November six months after suffering his first defeat as a professional to Jose Felix in Dublin, while Limerick southpaw Donovan's victory came four months after a seventh round stoppage win for 'The Real Deal' over Argentina's Williams Andres Herrera at the Ulster Hall in Belfast in what was the toughest fight of his career to date having fought just two months earlier.
READ MORE:Paddy Donovan stops Lewis Ritson on Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall card
Matchroom boss Hearn liked what he saw from the Irish pair and will now be targeting big fights for them both going forward. Donovan looks set to face the winner of Lewis Crocker v Conah Walker, which takes place in Birmingham next month, later in the year and Cully is likely to fight on the same card, which will most likely take place at Belfast's SSE Arena.
The promoter told the Irish Mirror: "I thought Gary Cully boxed well, I mean Patera didn't stop coming non-stop, (Gary) busted him up nice. We know that Patera is very, very durable and I thought Gary boxed well. He is going to need to be better to beat the elite guys, but it's time now to gamble. He's going to have to jump into a really big fight.
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"Paddy Donovan I thought boxed really well, Ritson was actually winning some rounds there until he got stopped. Paddy just stepped it up, he's a class operator, always in control even though he lost a couple of rounds. Now he has a big fight, we'll see what happens with Lewis Crocker against Conah Walker."
Fighting under Niall Barrett for this fight having prepared for it at home in Naas after working with Joe McNally in Liverpool for his last bout, Cully used his reach well at times and landed some lovely combinations as the contest went on, with the three judges scoring the bout 98-92, 96-94 and 96-94 in his favour.
Patera threw plenty of punches early in the fight, but Cully began to take control as it went on, with the Belgian slowing down in the later rounds.
The 28-year-old Irishman bust Patera open late on and the now 29-5 fighter finished the contest bloodied.
Meanwhile, Donovan once again showed his class with brilliant movement throughout and he began to really hurt former British lightweight champion Ritson with a selection of uppercuts and body shots in the eighth.
Ritson was clearly feeling the effects of them when he came out in the ninth and as Donovan began to hammer his opponent with powerful punches without reply, the referee had no choice but to step in and stop the fight 32 seconds into the round.
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