Wayne McCullough has failed in his bid to win the WBO featherweight title. The 'Pocket Rocket' was beaten on points by Scott Harrisson in Glasgow this evening. In a tough but one-sided contest, only the 32-year-old Irishman's bravery prevented Harrison becoming the first man ever to stop him.
McCullough was rocked severely in the sixth, ninth and 10th rounds but somehow held on for the bell - even causing the champion to stumble from a body shot in the final round. But there was no doubting the judges' scoring of 119-109, 119-108, 120-108 in Harrison's favour.
Afterwards Harrison had plenty of praise for McCullough but was pleased with his performance. "Wayne is one of the best in the world. He kept coming back from my hard punches - I've got a lot of respect for him," Harrison told Sky Sports. "But I used my jab and the angles. Basically I put the combinations together with speed and power."
McCullough said: "He was better and stronger than I thought he'd be - that's why I couldn't mix it up. He hurt me early on. He's unbelievably strong. It wasn't a matter of size - it was strength. I could still jab with him but his strength is unbelievable."
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
