Michael Gomez vs. Peter McDonagh

Michael Gomez 134 lbs lost to Peter McDonagh 134 lbs by TKO at 2:04 in round 5 of 10

• Date: 2006-01-28
• Location: National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
• Referee: Sean Russell

Bout Summary

Gomez dropped his guard in round five, and took a series of unanswered punches before falling to the canvas. He rose, but walked toward his corner as the referee was counting, and then walked out of the ring as the referee was waving the fight off.

Comments

The Boxing Union of Ireland suspended the purses of both fighters, amid reports that unusually high amounts of money had been bet on McDonagh to win inside the distance. The BBC reported that odds on McDonagh to win via fifth-round stoppage had dropped from 125-1 to 18-1 by the afternoon of the bout.

After a three-week investigation, the BUI released the purses of both fighters, stating that "Michael Gomez and Peter McDonagh confirmed that neither they, their families, nor any person in their camp, as far as they were aware, betted on the fight," but expressing disappointment that the bookmaker Boylesports, who had suspended wagering on the bout due to the unusual betting patterns, had chosen not to reply to the investigators' queries.

Gomez later explained the loss by saying that "[i]t was all very simple, I just came to a decision in there that I need to retire from boxing full stop." He further indicated that he planned to pursue a career in bodybuilding. McDonagh, meanwhile, claimed that he had won because Uri Geller had helped him mentally prepare for the fight.