Cheavon Clarke turned a dull affair into a highlight reel moment.

The 2020 Great Britain Olympian and unbeaten cruiserweight knocked out countryman Ellis Zorro in the eighth round. An initial right hand rocked Zorro, and a follow-up shot put him down for the ten count. The official time was 2:59 into the eighth round of their British cruiserweight title fight Saturday at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.

There was little action to be found in the preceding seven rounds. The slow-moving affair saw Zorro—a former world title challenger—frequently clinch but only drew one warning.

Clarke was content to take whatever openings presented themselves before he found his stride midway through the bout.

Zorro was buzzed by a right hand inside the final 20 seconds of the eighth round. Clarke grinned as he knew one more shot would close the show. That moment came just before the bell as a right hand along the ropes sent Zorro to the canvas.

Clarke shimmied before he was instructed to head to a neutral corner. Referee Mark Bates reached the count of ten to bring an end to the fight.

The loss is the second straight for Zorro (17-2, 7 knockouts). RING cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia  blitzed through Zorro in just one round on December 23 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Clarke advanced to 9-0 (7 KOs). The stoppage was his first beyond the fifth round.

Paddy Donovan went more rounds than ever before to remain perfect as a pro. The Andy Lee-trained welterweight prospect dialed up the pressure and broke down veteran fringe contender Lewis Ritson. A late surge forced referee Howard Foster to stop the fight.

Both fighters were predictable for much of the bout. Donovan, a 25-year-old southpaw from Limerick, Ireland, was persistent with his body attack. Defense was an issue, however, as he was unable to slip Ritson’s right hand over the top.

Action was competitive through seven rounds before Donovan turned a corner in the eighth. Ritson was pinned along the ropes late and absorbed body shots and right hooks up top. The Brit barely made it out of the round but clearly had little left in his arsenal.

Donovan (14-0, 11 knockouts) picked up on that development and didn’t waste any time to close the show. A barrage of punches left Ritson unable defend himself or respond, which forced the stoppage.

Paddy Donovan (right) pours on the attack in a 9th round stoppage of Lewis Ritson on May 25 in Leeds, England. Photo Credit: Mikey Williams, Top Rank

Ritson (23-4, 13 KOs) has now suffered three stoppage defeats within his past five fights. The rapid decline came after a highly questionable win over former IBF lightweight titlist Miguel Vazquez in Oct. 2020.

Donovan had never fought past the eighth round through his first thirteen pro fights. His deepest win inside the distance came in his last fight. Donovan halted Williams Herrera in the seventh round of their Jan. 27 battle in Belfast.

Another Irish southpaw claimed a win on the undercard. Gary Cully (18-1, 10 KOs) outpointed Belgium’s Francesco Patera (29-5, 11 KOs) over ten rounds in their lightweight battle. Scores were 96-94, 96-94 and 98-92 for Cully, who won his second in a row.

Both bouts aired on the undercard of the Josh Taylor-Jack Catterall 2 undercard.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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