There’s a neat thread running through the Dublin undercard. Gary Cully lost to Maxi Hughes by unanimous decision in Monte Carlo last December. On Saturday night at the 3Arena, Cully won his return fight — and, a few bouts later on the same card, Pierce O’Leary stopped that very same Hughes in five rounds. Boxing can be a small world.
Cully’s night was less dramatic than his fellow Irishman’s, but no less important for the man himself. A dominant 60-54 points win over Benito Sanchez Garcia — a scheduled 8-round contest shortened to 6 — confirmed that the horror eye injury that sidelined him, and the loss to Hughes, have not derailed “The Diva’s” ambitions.
Gary Cully def. Benito Sanchez Garcia Unanimous Decision (60-54) — 6 Rounds 📍 3Arena, Dublin | Saturday, 14 March 2026 | DAZN Super Lightweight (140 lbs)
Cully’s 2024 was a test of character. He picked up a serious eye injury that kept him out of the ring for an extended period, then returned to lose to Hughes on points in December. For a fighter whose record read 18-2 going into Saturday, those two setbacks carried real weight.
The opponent, Garcia, was brought in with a 17-17-4 record and 248 professional rounds of experience — a seasoned journeyman whose role was to provide rounds and resistance, not genuine danger. Against that context, the scoreline of 60-54 (a 10-8 round average) is exactly what a fighter in Cully’s position needed: clean, emphatic, and confidence-building.
The size gap was stark. Cully stands 6’2” with a 74.4-inch reach — a frame that’s genuinely uncommon at 140 lbs. Garcia at orthodox and with 248 rounds of pro experience knew how to survive, but he had no answer for the Irishman’s southpaw jab and the body work Cully returned to throughout.
The 6-round conclusion — whether by mutual agreement or the fight simply running its scheduled distance — gave Cully the rounds he needed after his layoff. His last win before this was a UD over Francesco Patera in May 2024. Getting back to winning ways, in Dublin, on a world-title night, matters.
Here is the data point that gives Cully’s win its wider significance: Maxi Hughes beat Cully in December 2024. On the very same Dublin card, Pierce O’Leary stopped Hughes in round 5. That’s not a direct comparison — boxing doesn’t work that neatly — but it does paint a picture of an Irish super lightweight scene that is rapidly rising in quality and ambition.
Cully (18-2), O’Leary (now 19-0), and the presence of quality operators like Carroll and Cacace on the same bill, suggests the Irish boxing scene is stacking talent at 130-140 lbs in a way that will bear serious fruit over the next two or three years.
Cully’s most recent dominant performance suggests a step-up is warranted. With his size and technical ability, a European title shot at super lightweight would be a reasonable target. The loss to Hughes — who was just comprehensively stopped — already looks less damaging in hindsight.
For Garcia, his 17-17-4 record reflects a journeyman career on the road. He was professional throughout and gave Cully the rounds he needed to rebuild confidence. That has value in its own right.
This fight was part of the Anthony Cacace vs Jazza Dickens card at 3Arena, Dublin. Also on the night: Pierce O’Leary stopped Maxi Hughes in five, and Jono Carroll beat Colm Murphy by split decision.
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