Takeaways from a Busy Boxing Weekend Peppered by Upsets and a Scorching KO

Takeaways from a Busy Boxing Weekend Peppered by Upsets and a Scorching KO

The month of December is less than half over and there will be plenty of activity in the coming weeks, but already there is a clear-cut favorite for the TSS Boxer of the Month. His name is Conah Walker, he hails from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England, and this past Saturday in Monte Carlo, he upset Pat McCormack, one of England’s most decorated amateurs, knocking McCormack from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 12^th-round stoppage in a bruising tiff contested for a regional welterweight title.

A two-time Olympian, Pat McCormack was a silver medalist in Tokyo, falling short in the finals against the brilliant Cuban veteran Roniel Iglesias. He signed with powerful promoter Eddie Hearn coming out of the amateur ranks and, at age 30, was immediately placed on the fast track. He was 8-0 (6 KOs) heading into his match with Conah Walker and elevated to #4 in the WBA welterweight rankings following a ninth-round stoppage of rugged Mexican campaigner Miguel Parra.

Walker, who came to boxing late after spending two of his teen years in a juvenile detention facility, had only 33 amateur fights before turning pro at age twenty-three. He was a solid pro with a 16-3-1 (7 KOs) record, a noted spoiler who had never been in a bad fight, but wasn’t considered in McCormack’s class. The ex-Olympian, coached by Ben Davison, was a 6/1 favorite.

Heading into the final round, the DAZN talking heads had McCormack comfortably ahead, an opinion at odds with two of the judges who thought Walker was nicking it. That became a moot point when Walker took it out of the judges’ hands.

Walker set a fast pace and his bulldog tenacity eventually paid dividends. In the final frame, he swarmed all over McCormack. Less than a minute after McCormack spit out his mouthpiece, buying precious seconds, Walker knocked him through the ropes with a fusillade of punches. McCormack contorted himself back into the ring and was counted out on his knees.

This wasn’t the first time that Conah Walker rallied to stop an opponent who was expected to beat him. Eleven months ago, in Nottingham, he stopped previously undefeated Harry Scarff in the 11^th round to capture the British welterweight title. Scarff was up big on the cards when Walker discombobulated him with a big right hand.

What’s next for Conah Walker? The most logical fight for him would be a rematch with Belfast’s undefeated (22-0, 11 KOs) Lewis Crocker whose management has reserved the date of April 26 at Northern Ireland’s national soccer stadium for Crocker’s first defense of the IBF welterweight title he captured with a split decision over Paddy Donovan. The title was previously owned by Jaron “Boots” Ennis who vacated it to move up in weight.

Walker and Crocker fought a 10-rounder on June 22, 2024, in Birmingham with Crocker winning a controversial, albeit unanimous, decision. The would-be avenger, Walker, would be favored in a rematch. However, that fight isn’t likely to happen anytime soon as Conah Walker’s promoter Sam Jones also handles Jack Catterall who is higher on the totem pole. (Conor Benn has also been mentioned as a possible opponent for Crocker’s first title defense.)

When he was just starting out, Walker was trained and managed by the late, great Ricky Hatton. His upset over Pat McCormack will translate into a substantial payday when he returns to the ring and it comes at a good time as Walker and his wife are about to welcome their second child

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Another upset in Monte Carlo produced a new star on the female boxing front.

Elif Nur Turhan, a 30-year-old Turk from Istanbul, won the IBF lightweight title with a fifth-round stoppage of Brazil’s Beatriz Ferreira in a slugfest that had the crowd roaring from the opening bell. The vanquished Ferreira, an Olympic silver medalist with a deep amateur background, 8-0 as a pro, was a 4/1 favorite.

There’s nothing subtle about Nur Turhan who had Ferreira on the canvas twice in the opening round and ended matters in the fifth with a flurry of vicious head shots that forced German referee Diana Drews Milani to step in and waive it off.

Nur Turhan (12-0, 8 KOs) signed with Matchroom in April after scoring a 47-second, one-punch knockout over Ireland’s Shauna Browne in Belfast. Following her demolition of Ferreira, Matchroom honcho Eddie Hearn proclaimed that she is the most destructive puncher in the sport.

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There wasn’t much in the way of fireworks on the main card of Saturday’s pay-per-view event in San Antonio. Each of the four bouts lasted the full 12 rounds.

On the undercard, no one boosted his stature more than Indianapolis southpaw Frank “The Ghost” Martin. In his first fight at 140 and first fight with trainer Buddy McGirt, Martin (19-1, 13 KOs) rebounded from his setback to Gervonta Davis with a smashing one-punch knockout of former two-division title-holder Rances Barthelemy. A straight left hand knocked Barthelemy flat on his back in the final seconds of the fourth round. Referee James Green counted to “one” and then realized Barthelemy was out cold and frantically waived it off.

Frank Martin

Martin was expected to beat Barthelemy who had lost two of his last three after opening his career 29-1-1. The Cuban defector, a longtime Las Vegas resident, was plainly past his prime at age 39. But Barthelemy always stayed in shape, came from a good barn – he had lead trainer Bones Adams and Bob Santos in his corner – and had never been defeated in such a harsh fashion.

Frank Martin, a former National Golden Gloves champion, was customarily described as a clever technician, a boxer-puncher with the accent on boxer. At 140, he seems to be punching with more authority, giving him a more well-rounded game.

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