David Allen Seeks Overturn After Bizarre No-Contest Sees Thomas Carty Tumble Through the Ropes

David Allen wants the result of his fight with Thomas Carty changed to a win — after a finish so strange it left everyone in the arena scratching their heads.

The bout, on the undercard of Katie Taylor's farewell fight on 5 September 2026, lasted barely 92 seconds. Allen, a 34-year-old from Doncaster, caught Carty with a right hand during a clinch — the close-range grappling position where both fighters are tied up. Carty tumbled through the ropes and out of the ring, requiring immediate medical attention. The referee waved it off as a no-contest, a result that registers neither a win nor a loss on either fighter's record (The Guardian).

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Allen said the punch was never meant to land where it did. He said he was trying to "clip him round the ear," not strike the back of the head — an illegal blow in boxing that referees are instructed to penalise. Allen argued that Carty turned his head into the shot, causing it to land on the back of the skull instead. "I was a bit too strong and rough for him," Allen said, adding that he believed he would have won by stoppage if the punch had landed cleanly in the centre of the ring. He also revealed he asked the referee, "Are you not going to count?" after Carty went through the ropes, expecting a standard count rather than an immediate stoppage (BBC Sport).

Team Carty see things differently. In a statement, the Dubliner's camp claimed he was struck by two illegal blows to the back of the head — not one. They confirmed Carty, 30, was recovering from a suspected concussion but stressed that "the most important thing is that Thomas is ok" (Irish Boxing).

The fight itself had barely begun. Carty, a southpaw — meaning he fights with his right foot and right hand forward, the opposite of the standard stance — came out behind his right-handed jab, trying to establish distance. Allen's record now stands at 27-9-2 with 20 knockouts; Carty's at 11-1 with 9 knockouts (Boxing Scene).

Allen now plans to approach the boxing board about overturning the result. Whether the authorities will agree to revisit a no-contest ruling is another matter entirely — and one that sits outside Allen's hands.