By Vince D’Writer: Irish boxer Gary “The Diva” Cully returned to his native Ireland for his own version of the homecoming bout, but unfortunately his party was ruined as Jose Felix Jr (40-6-1, 31 KOs) stunned Cully by brutally stopping him in the third round.
The bout served as the co-main for the Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron event at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. After scoring a third round TKO victory in February, Gary Cully was looking forward to going to Ireland and fighting in front of a home crowd.
The 6 foot 2 Cully, who was fighting at a catch weight of 137, got off to a good start as he utilized his reach advantage, and won the first round by consistently landing the jab. As he was bouncing on his toes, darting in an out, it was apparent that his 5 foot 8 opponent Jose Felix was trying to time Cully and set a trap.
In the second round Felix momentarily figured out the timing as he caught Cully coming in, and he was able to land a big left hook. Felix had a few good moments in round 2, but Cully was once again able to dictate the action in the round by consistently landing the jab.
In the third round Gary Cully continued to throw his shots while bouncing in and out of range. The complexion of the fight completely changed when Jose Felix timed Gary Cully, and landed a big overhand right that sent the Irishman down to the canvas. Cully was able to rise to his feet, but he was still visibly hurt.
Felix proceeded to apply intense pressure as he landed hard shots that forced Cully to fall down to his knees. Once again he was able to get up, but unfortunately for him, their was plenty of time remaining in the round.
When the action continued, Felix landed a wicked left hook followed by a straight right hand that knocked Cully back into a corner. Felix tried to finish his opponent as he threw a flurry of shots to the body, but Cully was able to survive for the moment by forcing a clinch.
Felix continued to stalk his wounded opponent as he hit him with two big right hand shots. Cully grabbed Felix’s arm to force another clinch, and once the referee separated the fighters, Felix pressed forward and forced his hurt opposition into a vulnerable position with his back on the ropes.
The Mexican boxer Jose Felix proceeded with the physical assault, and as a result, it forced his opponent’s corner man to throw in the towel, but the referee didn’t see it. Felix went on to land one last big left hook, and the referee finally put a halt to the contest.
After losing two fights in a row, one to Tyrone McKenna and the other to Sandor Martin, Jose Felix bounced back in a big way with a stunning upset victory over Gary Cully. The 31-year-old Felix was able to pick up a solid win and spoil the homecoming party.
Coming into the bout, Gary Cully (16-1, 10 KOs) had all the momentum as he was consistently moving up the rankings courtesy of a five fight knockout streak. Now after suffering his first career loss, Cully and his team will have to go back to the drawing board to figure out the next career move.