Cheavon Clarke recovers from two knockdowns to stop Jack Massey after cruiserweight thriller in Bournemouth | Boxing News

Cheavon Clarke recovered from being knocked down twice to deliver a sensational seventh-round stoppage of Jack Massey in a dramatic cruiserweight clash in Bournemouth.

The co-main event of Zuffa Boxing’s show at the Bournemouth International Centre pitted former British champion Clarke against former world title challenger Massey, with the contest living up to its pre-fight billing.

Massey stunned Clarke with a strong combination late in the second round and appeared to take control in the contest after dropping his opponent twice during an eventful fourth round.

Clarke took the full eight-count after being struck by Massey’s powerful right hand before being sent to the canvas again barely a minute later, with the Gravesend fighter doing well to see off the rest of the round.

He then came firing back in the fifth but was behind on all three judges’ scorecards, despite hurting Massey and edging the sixth round, then floored his opponent with a huge right hand in the seventh.

Massey was still unsteady after surviving the count, with a further flurry of Clarke punches soon after seeing the referee stop the fight – with just over 80 seconds of the round remaining – to complete a remarkable comeback victory.

“I came from nothing – and when you come from nothing you’ve got something to fight for,” Clarke told Sky Sports. “Credit to Jack. He’s a quality fighter.

“He’s better than most of the cruiserweights and I just beat him. I pictured it. I manifested it. Manifestation does work and faith does work.

“I’m a big Arsenal fan and I missed the whole parade because I was in camp – so today is my parade.”

Cutler and McKenna renew rivalry after comeback wins

Home favourite Lee Cutler saw his middleweight contest against Aaron Sutton cut short when a powerful right hand left his opponent with a dislocated shoulder, resulting in a third-round TKO victory.

All three judges had the contest level after two rounds before the stoppage, with Cutler’s unusual victory – with 31 seconds of the round remaining – marking a successful first return to the ring since last April’s defeat to Sam Eggington.

“After the [Sam] Eggington fight, I believe I was robbed of a clinical victory again,” Cutler told Sky Sports. “I thought I was going to walk this guy down [Sutton] and beat him up. Accidents happen and respect to him for staying in there. It’s a shame what happened.”

Cutler called for a rematch against Stephen McKenna, who he beat in December 2024, after the Irishman ended his 539-day absence from the ring with a sensational first-round stoppage against Casey James Streeter.

McKenna (16-1) needed just 64 seconds to despatch Streeter and claim the 15th knockout win of his career, sending the American to the canvas with a huge left hook before seeing the fight stopped by the referee after a series of heavy shots.

“I’m just happy to be back, stronger than ever,” McKenna told Sky Sports. “I always go for the knockout. He [Streeter] tried to meet fire with fire, but it was only going to go one way.”

Scotland’s Sam Hickey (5-0) continued his perfect professional record with a brutal knockout against Todd Tompkins, sending the Englishman to the canvas with a powerful right hand just over 80 seconds into the second round.

“We need to get a show in Scotland – I’ll sell the gaff out,” Hickey told Sky Sports. “If I keep putting on performances like that and getting people to the fights, we can get hundreds of people down. You don’t get paid for overtime. I put the work in and the shot was there. I’m happy.”

Dychko sees off Dykes after McMillan, Hughes deliver stoppage wins

Alex MacMillan (4-0) – a gym-mate of Billam-Smith and Cutler – opened the night with a statement victory as he knocked down fellow Englishman Leo Fanthome three times during a second-round stoppage.

Leon Hughes (5-0) also wasted little time in maintaining his unbeaten start as a professional, dominating a one-sided contest against Mario Vergiev before the referee stepped in after 52 seconds of the third round.

England’s Harvey Dykes suffered the first defeat of his professional career after two-time Olympic medallist Ivan Dychko (16-1) edged to victory via split decision.

What’s next?

Further Zuffa Boxing shows are scheduled in Las Vegas on June 28 and New York on July 26 ahead of their first Irish show in Dublin on August 8, with all three live and exclusive in the UK and Ireland on Sky Sports.

Zuffa Boxing 08 in Las Vegas includes Edwin De Los Santos facing Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela in a 10-round rematch of their memorable 2022 fight-of-the-year contender, while the line-up for the New York show has yet to be announced. Get Sky Sports or stream boxing with no contract.