Dave Allen Wants No Contest With Thomas Carty Overturned to a Win
Ninety seconds in, a clinch shot sent Carty through the ropes at Croke Park. Allen says he's taking his case to the boxing board.
By FightSplit Editorial Team · Published Sep 6, 2026

Dave Allen wants a win where the record books currently show nothing. Ninety seconds into his heavyweight bout with Thomas Carty in Dublin, an accidental clinch shot sent the Irishman face-first through the ropes and out of the ring, forcing referee Emile Tiedt to wave off the ten-rounder and rule it a no contest.
The fight, chief support to Katie Taylor's farewell at Croke Park, never got the chance to become the scrap both men clearly wanted. Allen has since laid out his version on his YouTube channel, and he's not letting the result stand quietly. He said he intends to contact the boxing board and ask for the no contest to be overturned to a stoppage win in his favour.
How It Fell Apart
By Allen's account, things were heating up before the exit. He described smiling at Carty, closing the distance, and landing a left hook to the body and head that rattled his opponent. Carty answered with a combination and an uppercut that snapped Allen's head back, then grabbed him frantically in the clinch.
That's where it went sideways. Allen insists he was aiming near the ear, not the back of the head, and that Carty turned into a shot that wasn't heavy to begin with. The Irishman ended up on his back on the arena floor, and the fight simply couldn't continue.
Allen's Case
Allen said he asked the referee on the spot why there was no count, arguing that if the same thing had happened in the centre of the ring he'd have won by stoppage. He admitted he lost his temper, telling officials that Carty had jumped out of the ring, and copped to being genuinely shocked by the whole thing.
The tone toward Carty stayed respectful. Allen called him a good guy and stressed the shot wasn't intentional, while still maintaining he felt too strong and too rough and that the fight was only ever heading one way. As of writing, there's been no response from Carty or his camp, which leaves the board with an awkward call and Allen chasing a result the scorecards never got to record.
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