You win by suckering a guy, you don't get to put a feather in your cap.
Lemieux was a MUCH better player who when asked nodded and went. He might not have won the rematch but when he actually knew he was in a fight he more than held his own with "tough guy" McCarty.
Lemieux got back some respect by having that fight. It was a different time, when respect was indeed won/lost in that kind of way.
McCarty was a borderline tough guy, really. He was an undersized heavyweight who had more courage than brains when it came to fighting, which made him a long time favorite in Detroit.
But I think villifying McCarty for what he did to Lemieux only works if you're willing to villify Lemieux for the hit on Draper. I don't think McCarty cared a whole lot about a fair fight. He wanted to hurt Lemieux, as Lemieux had hurt Draper. Both acts were predatory, but one guy attacked a player who was also predatory, and, right or wrong, it was a consequence for a predatory action.