Clarke vs McCarthy Predictions: Amateur standout Cheavon can wrap it up midway

Fighters with 7-0 records have usually fought opponents whose combined ledger looks like a phone number. A zero at the front followed by a long number, representing the mass of defeats inflicted upon them. Not so, Cheavon Clarke. Despite having just a handful of professional outings, the combined record of his opponents reads a respectable 92-63-6. Factoring in the fact 29 of those defeats belong to debut foe Toni Visic, Clarke’s level of competition has been decent.

Make no mistake, though, Clarke is stepping up in class next time out. Former European champion Tommy McCarthy will be in the opposite corner at the iconic Ulster Hall in Belfast as ‘C4’ aims to level up.

Clarke is 33 years old, which explains his keenness to skip the stat-padding fights. A standout amateur and Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, the popular puncher wants to be on the fast-track while still in his physical prime. 

Clarke’s last opponent, Vasil Ducar, had knocked Jordan Thompson down in an IBF European title defeat. Before that, he took out former British title challenger and IBO international cruiserweight champion David Jamieson in five rounds. Former foe Jose Ulrich had been in with quality men like Mike Perez and Evgeny Tishchenko. This is good company to keep seven fights into your career.

But McCarthy is a different proposition. He has been there and done that as European cruiserweight champion. The Irishman lost that title to current WBO world king Chris Billam-Smith on a split decision. ‘The Gentleman’ stopped McCarthy in the eighth round of a rematch. Considering what Billam-Smith has gone onto achieve on the world stage, there’s no shame in that.

It has taken some very good men to beat McCarthy. Richard Riakporhe, Michal Cieslak and Matty Askin are the only ones beyond Billam-Smith to have done it. This shows the gulf for Clarke between where he’s been and where he is going. A victory over McCarthy would put him in the mix with fighters who have reached domestic, European and world championship level.

McCarthy is fast with his hands, raiding in and out with precision. Not a concussive puncher, he has taken out 10 of the 20 men he has defeated. But his timing is an asset and he’s adept at racking up points before his opponent has settled. Clarke has a solid jab that he works to the head and body. He will need to use this weapon to discourage McCarthy, who is at his best when controlling the tempo.

Clarke has a whipping right in his arsenal that could be useful to employ from midway. Cieslak showed that McCarthy can be tired out. The Irishman expending his energy early in that one and was a stationary target down the stretch. Clarke might need a little patience but he can start making McCarthy miss and seize upon the tired limbs thereafter.

I can see Clarke getting the job done around the middle rounds. Cheavon is 4/1 to close the show in rounds 4-6. That sounds about right. It took Riakporhe four sessions and Billam-Smith did it in eight. Clarke looks closer to the former in terms of power, judging from the small sample size of his career so far. McCarthy is brave and will do his utmost to make it a contest, but it’s hard to envision it being enough against a well-schooled rising star like Cheavon Clarke.

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