Ep. 58- Retiring from Boxing, Finding Comedy, and Facing Racism with Tommy McCarthy

About this episode

Tommy McCarthy discusses his transition from professional boxing to comedy, addressing personal challenges and his aspirations in the Irish comedy scene.

Carla sits down with professional boxer turned comedian, Tommy McCarthy. Tommy shares the highs and lows of his boxing career and what led him to hang up his gloves. He opens up about dealing with grief after the loss of his mother, growing up as one of the only Black kids in West Belfast, and living between London and Belfast. Tommy has now stepped into the Irish comedy scene and speaks about his creative process and his goal of becoming the number one comedian in Ireland. Timestamps 00:00 J...

People in this episode

Host: Carla McGreevy

Guest: Tommy McCarthy

Topics covered

• boxing
• comedy
• grief
• racism
• personal growth
• creative process

Keywords

• boxing career
• comedy
• grief
• racism
• Irish comedian
• West Belfast
• London
• Belfast

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Irish comedy scene

Places: West Belfast, London, Belfast

More episodes of Wise Yourself Up

• Ep. 67- Dating Again, Red Flags and Why I’m Not Settling · April 29, 2026 · 47 min
• Ep. 66- How Shame Shapes Your Relationships and Self Worth · April 24, 2026 · 40 min
• Ep. 65- Faking Orgasms, Using Sex Toys And Understanding Pleasure with Emily King · April 15, 2026 · 1h 10m
• Ep. 64- ADHD, Getting Diagnosed, and Starting Medication with Emma Neill · April 2, 2026 · 1h 19m
• Ep. 63- Grief, Feeling Closed Off, and F*cking on a Full Bush · March 19, 2026 · 31 min
• Ep. 62- Family Trauma, Breaking Cycles of Harm, and Supporting Young People with Youth Untroubled · March 5, 2026 · 47 min