One judge had it 117-111. Another scored it 112-116 for Murphy. The third went 116-112 Carroll. On a night of Irish boxing drama at the 3Arena, Jono Carroll added another chapter to his unlikely comeback story — defeating unbeaten prospect Colm Murphy by split decision over 12 absorbing rounds of super featherweight action. The scorecards told one story. The punch data tells another.
Jono Carroll def. Colm Murphy Split Decision (116-112, 112-116, 117-111) 📍 3Arena, Dublin | Saturday, 14 March 2026 | DAZN Super Featherweight (130 lbs) — 12 rounds
On the surface, this was the closest of fights: Carroll landed 116 punches from 436 thrown (26.6% accuracy), Murphy 114 from 468 (24.4%). Two punches in it across 12 rounds. One judge saw it for Murphy — and the numbers make that understandable. But the distribution of those punches is where Carroll’s victory was truly built.
Carroll landed 96 power punches across the fight — against Murphy’s 83. In the championship rounds, Murphy’s output collapsed. In round 12, he connected on just 4 of 33 thrown (12.1%). Carroll, despite throwing more in the final session, maintained a 20% clip. The veteran didn’t fade. The prospect did.
| Stat | Carroll | Murphy |
|---|---|---|
| Total Landed / Thrown | 116 / 436 | 114 / 468 |
| Accuracy | 26.6% | 24.4% |
| Power Punches Landed | 96 | 83 |
| Power Punch Accuracy | 36.4% | 35.3% |
| Jabs Landed | 20 | 31 |
| R12 Accuracy | 20% | 12.1% |
Murphy won the jab battle — 31 landed to Carroll’s 20. But Carroll targeted power punches with precision, landing 9 of 15 in round 1 (60%) and 8 of 15 in round 2 (53.3%). Those early rounds, where Carroll’s power accuracy spiked above 50%, are where the winning margin was banked.
Rounds 1–4 were Carroll’s. His power punch accuracy read 60%, 53%, 29%, 50% across those frames — a dominant opening sequence that gave him the cushion he needed. Murphy, the unbeaten local favourite, was being hit cleanly and consistently.
From round 5 onwards, Murphy grew into the fight. He threw more, worked the jab better, and by rounds 7 and 8 had clawed back ground. Rounds 9 and 10 were contested on a knife-edge — Murphy’s output (14 landed in round 10, his best) suggested he was rallying.
But round 11 and 12 told the real story. Murphy’s accuracy fell off a cliff — 16.7% in round 11, 12.1% in round 12 — while Carroll stayed composed and connected. The veteran who had been stopped by Albert Batyrgaziev back in July 2024, written off, came back to Dublin and showed the championship rounds were still his territory.
Twelve years after turning professional in 2012, Carroll has now won 26 of 28 fights. The defeat to Batyrgaziev was a bruising KO9 stoppage. Many assumed his best days were behind him. Instead, he rolled into 3Arena — the city he left for Dubai to build his career — and outworked a 16-0 unbeaten prospect in front of a hostile Dublin crowd. That takes grit.
Carroll is now firmly back in the super featherweight picture at 130 lbs. A domestic or European-level title shot would be a natural next step. For Murphy, the first loss of his career came in the toughest possible setting — but at 25 years old, this is a learning experience, not a derailment. His volume and jab work showed real quality; the late-round fade is the lesson to take forward.
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 Gary Cully returned to winning ways against Benito Sanchez Garcia.
📊 Want to dive deeper into the action? Subscribe to our Boxing Data API to access full round-by-round punch stats, detailed analytics, and historical fight data.
