CRAIG RICHARDS returned to the win column in emphatic fashion last night, halting Padraig McCrory with a devastating eighth-round body shot.
The two light-heavyweight veterans locked horns at the SSE (Odessey) Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, featuring on the undercard of Lewis Crocker vs Paddy Donovan.
For both, it appeared to be a must-win fight, as while neither had suffered any career-threatening defeats, the loser, it seemed, would only be presented with a sizable mountain to climb.
But regardless of the pressure he was under, Richards, 19-4-1 (12 KOs), produced a composed performance before finding a home for a spiteful left hand to the body of his opponent.
With McCrory, 19-2 (9 KOs), dropping to the canvas, the Londoner then secured his most meaningful win since claiming the British title back in 2020.
Better still, it was a victory that has now spun his career into a more promising direction following last year’s unanimous decision defeat to Willy Hutchinson.
The major change ahead of his fight, of course, was that Richards had parted ways with esteemed trainer Shane McGuigan to restore his relationship with Tony Sims.
Before joining McGuigan’s stable, ‘The Spider’ worked mostly with Sims’ brother, Peter, at the Matchroom Gym in Essex, England.
Perhaps most notably, their fighter-trainer relationship saw Richards give a strong account of himself against undisputed king Dmitry Bivol when they squared off in 2021.
But now, with the 34-year-old returning to his former training set-up, McGuigan has revealed exactly what happened before their amicable split.
“[Richards] wanted to put more emphasis on conditioning and sparring, which I personally didn’t agree with,” McGuigan told Boxing News yesterday.
“We’re still friends, and I messaged him [yesterday] wishing him luck [against McCrory]. There’s no malice or hard feelings.
“I just think he’s been in Tony’s system for so long, and it’s really hard to take someone out of that system at this stage in their career.”
