There was no suspense in Molly McCann’s (5-0) unanimous decision win over Sylwia Doligala (8-3-2), with scores of 80-72, 80-73, and 79-73 telling the story. McCann came forward from the opening bell, kept her hands moving, and never gave Doligala enough room to become comfortable. The Polish fighter absorbed the pressure and stayed upright, but she spent most of the eight rounds backing away rather than producing meaningful offense of her own. By the later rounds, Doligala had swelling beneath one eye and blood across her vest from McCann’s steady combinations upstairs. There were no knockdowns or dramatic scares, just one fighter consistently doing more work than the other.
Matthew Boreland (7-1) was beginning to make things interesting when Joe McGrail (14-0, 7 KOs) suddenly ended their competitive super bantamweight fight in the fifth round. Boreland had refused to behave like the home nation underdog, fighting confidently and finding more success as the rounds passed. McGrail never lost his composure, though, and continued investing in the body while waiting for a clean opening. It arrived late in the fifth when the Liverpool southpaw buried a sharp left hook downstairs and sent Boreland to the canvas. Boreland was unable to beat the count, bringing a good scrap to an abrupt finish. McGrail left Croke Park with the vacant WBA Continental Gold title, while Boreland’s first defeat came from one perfectly placed punch rather than a one-sided beating.
Middleweight Paul Ryan (12-2) edged Paddy Gallagher (17-7-1) in a six-round contest that ended in absolute chaos once the final bell sounded. Gallagher initially got his hand raised via a 58-55 decision, having relied on relentless pressure to drag the taller southpaw into a close-quarters battle. Ryan countered cleanly from distance throughout the contest, convincing the Dublin crowd he deserved the nod. The ring announcer soon walked back the initial verdict, stating the referee’s card had been misread and that Ryan had actually won 58-56. Without any knockdowns or dominant stretches from either man, a close tally made total sense. Botching the announcement in front of thousands at Croke Park was completely inexcusable, turning an entertaining scrap into an awkward post-fight mess.
Bobbi Flood (4-0, 2 KOs) cruised through four rounds against Jack Swallow (4-14-1), winning by a wide 40-36 shutout on the referee’s card in a junior middleweight bout. The Dublin prospect set the pace early, relying on sharp fundamentals to bank rounds without taking unnecessary risks. Swallow played the durable journeyman role well by soaking up punishment, yet he lacked the offensive output to threaten the home favorite. Flood never forced a knockout, choosing instead to collect clean points as the rounds ticked away. While the hometown crowd at Croke Park went home happy, an uncompetitive contest against a foe with 14 defeats offered minimal clues about Flood’s ceiling against tougher opposition.
Adam Olaniyan (4-0, 4 KOs) blew right through Matej Hudak (6-3, 6 KOs) on the undercard, needing less than a full round to batter the bigger man into submission. Hudak lumbered into the ring with extra poundage, but that bulk quickly turned into a liability. The 20-year-old stalked him behind a stiff jab, trapped him against the ropes, and tore into him with clean, violent hooks upstairs. A brutal cluster of shots folded Hudak down to one knee.
Blood was already leaking out of Hudak’s nose, his guard pinned tight to his earmuffs with nothing firing back. Referee Emile Tiedt took one look at the wreckage and waved it off before things got ugly.
Demolitions like this show exactly why Eddie Hearn talks up the young heavyweight so aggressively, quietly treating him like Matchroom’s heir apparent whenever Anthony Joshua decides he is done.
Live Results and Running Order
5:08 p.m. ET: Katie Taylor vs. Flora Pili
Ten rounds for the undisputed light welterweight championship
Result:
4:08 p.m. ET: Dave Allen vs. Thomas Carty
Ten-round heavyweight bout
Result:
3:07 p.m. ET: Paddy Donovan vs. Tyrone McKenna
Ten-round welterweight bout
Result:
2:10 p.m. ET: Taylor Bevan vs. Emmet Brennan
Ten-round super middleweight bout
Result:
The four-fight main card begins at 2:00 p.m. ET, while Taylor and Pili are scheduled to make their ring walks at approximately 5:08 p.m. ET. The event will stream on DAZN and air on RTÉ in Ireland.
Taylor vs Pili Round by Round
