Monaco’s Hugo Micallef suffered the first defeat of his professional career on the evening of Saturday, December 6, halted in the eighth round by Ireland’s Sean McComb in their international super-lightweight title contest at the Salle des Étoiles. The loss ends Micallef’s eleven-fight unbeaten run but, despite the setback, the 27-year-old insisted the result would not derail his long-term ambitions.

The bout proved a punishing one for the home fighter. Micallef was floored in the third and sixth rounds before being dropped again in the eighth. Although he rose to continue, French referee Stéphane Nicolo opted to call a halt, judging the Monaco boxer in no state to safely proceed.

Speaking afterwards, Micallef — now 11-1, with three knockouts — acknowledged the scale of the challenge he had taken on. “It was a tough fight,” he said after meeting with His Serene Highness Prince Albert II. “I’ve always set my goals very high and I carry on doing that. When you aim high, you’re going to face difficulties. We had a top-level opponent. I believed I could beat him. It was a risk and I took it. It didn’t go my way, but that’s part of the sport.”

McComb, a seasoned southpaw with 21 wins and two defeats, arrived in Monaco looking to retain momentum after rebounding from a narrow points loss to American contender Arnold Barboza in New York last year. His sharper timing and control of distance proved decisive throughout the contest.

Micallef admitted he struggled to find a strategy that could unsettle the Irishman. “I tried keeping range early on, then closing the distance, but his timing and judgement were better than mine tonight,” he said. “I’ll take a break and then get straight back to work.”

The evening’s main event delivered another upset as Turkey’s Elif Nur Turhan stopped Brazil’s Beatriz Ferreira in the fifth round to claim the IBF lightweight title. Turhan, who entered the ring unbeaten and fresh off a sixth-round TKO over Rima Ayadi in August, overpowered the defending champion to secure the biggest victory of her career.

The Monte-Carlo Showdown, promoted by Eddie Hearn, once again delivered a night of high drama — and for Micallef, a reminder of the fine margins at boxing’s elite level.

Image courtesy of Direction de la Communication – Manuel Vitali