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You are > Home > Kickboxing extravaganza gives Sligo audience a real treat
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Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Kickboxing extravaganza gives Sligo audience a real treat
Sligo Mugendo Kickboxing Club recently hosted an international ring show at Sligo’s Clarion Hotel. Apart from the evening’s main full-contact contest between an Irish and English selection, there were also several Junior semi-contact and light-contact bouts involving local kickboxers. The evening proved a tremendous success.
The recent international kickboxing ring show – the highlight of which was a full-contact Senior contest between Ireland and England – that took place in Sligo’s Clarion Hotel proved a phenomenal success.
The show, whose main sponsors were Sligo firm, McCormack’s Fuels Limited, and the aforementioned Clarion Hotel, was organised by the Sligo Mugendo Kickboxing Club.
The evening began with a Junior team event which saw a selection of Sligo’s upcoming stars take on a strong Irish Junior kick-boxing selection.
The Sligo team was made up of five semi-contact (points) kickboxers – Enya Clarke, Ciara Kelly, Claire Corcoran, Michelle Healy and Lorraine McDermott – together with three light-contact (continuous) fighters, including Shane Keavney, Jarlath O’Connor and Aaron McDermott.
The local kickboxers secured an overall win over the Irish Junior selection on a score of five bouts to three.
Sligo’s Enya Clarke, who kicked off the show, took a clear win over Roisin Boyle, a Derry kickboxer. Clarke displayed speed and accuracy in all her techniques.
Ciara Kelly (Glencar) and Claire Corcoran (Sligo) both missed out on a win by just a point against their respective opponents, Rosemary Duffy (Mayo) and Louise Nelson (Monaghan)
Glencar’s Michelle Healy secured a two-points win over Mayo kickboxer Michelle Hanley, while this was followed by a brilliant win for Sligo’s Lorraine McDermott, who defeated Tallaght’s Lindsey O’Brien. At the end of the semi-contact bouts, Sligo led the team event.
Sligo’s Shane Keavney then stepped into the ring to face Mayo’s Darren Ruane (Mayo) in the first of the evening’s light-contact bouts. Unfortunately for Keavney, the Mayo native claimed victory on a split decision.
The pressure was then on the final two Sligo kick-boxers, Collooney’s Jarlath O’Connor and Aaron McDermott, as the team scores lay equal.
O’Connor secured an easy win over Armagh’s Sean Donnelly on a unanimous decision. This was followed by the last of the Junior bouts – the clash of Aaron McDermott and Cookstown’s Ryan Porter. McDermott’s efforts ensured a final win for the Sligo team, who won on a split decision.
In quick succession to the Junior event, Sligo’s Caradh O’Donovan stepped up to face Monaghan’s Leanne McAnne-Murphy in the only female light-contact bout on the undercard bill.
Although O’Donovan gave it her all over three rounds, the judges awarded a split decision to the Monaghan native.
Niall McDermott (Sligo) then faced Jamie Bradley (Dublin) in the last light-contact bout of the night. After three rounds of fast paced kick-boxing, the win was awarded to the Dubliner, however it was an exciting preview of what was yet to come on the show.
The first of the undercard full-contact bouts was a Connacht bout between Mayo’s Philip Kearney and Mark Scanlon, a Galway fighter. Kearney took the win when Scanlon’s corner threw in the towel early in the second round.
Sligo’s Malcolm Byrne then took a clear win over a Belfast fighter, Aubrey Taaffe, after three rounds of hard-hitting techniques.
This set the standard for another Sligo fighter, Wesley Kelly, who showed that the Sligo lads were a force to be reckoned with when he also took an unanimous decision over Dublin’s Clive Beatly.
As the show moved onto the International Bill, Sligo dignitary Marian Harkin, who is a TD and MEP, was called on to make a presentation to the English WAKO national full-contact kickboxing coach, Cris Janson Piers, on behalf of Sligo. Harkin kindly offered words of admiration for all the competitors involved in the ring show.
The first of the Irish full-contact kickboxers to step into the ring was Armagh’s David Clarke, who is ranked second in Ireland.
Although Clarke certainly rattled his English counterpart, Ryan Hamer, he lost on points at the end of the four rounds with the judges’ decision going to the English man.
Dublin’s Steward Edgeworth, who fought Joe ‘The Hitman’ Hagan in last year’s Sligo ring show, took an unanimous decision over England’s Greg Dormon.
However, the English team took back the win when Marty Wilson took the split decision following his encounter with Galway fighter T Bob.
Belfast’s Wilson Snoddy, who late last year challenged the WAKO professional world champion in a ring show held in Belfast, took a clear win over his English opponent, Lee Morgan. Snoddy’s win left the scores even at two wins apiece.
With only two bouts left, Armagh’s Luke Nulty stepped up to face Stuart Harker from the English team. After a great start by both kick-boxers, Harker caught Nulty with a powerful blow which left Nulty stunned. The English full-contact kick-boxer subsequently took the honours.
As the last and final bout of the show was to start, the anticipation in the function room of the Clarion Hotel was immense.
The crowd went silent as the evening’s MC, noted kickboxer Joe Hagan, announced the presence of Marlon Hunt, the English full-contact champion in the blue corner of the ring. As Hunt’s opponent, Sligo man Richard Macey, entered the ring, the crowd erupted into a frenzy.
The final bout of this month’s show was a hard-hitting display of accurate and skilful punches and kicks. Over the four rounds, Macey kept the pressure on the English man. Round for round the kick-boxers battled. In the third round, Macey dropped his opponent with a powerful punch. The crowd were on their feet. The English man was saved by the bell as the round ended.
At the end of the fourth round, the judges’ decision went to Hunt, although nobody could dispute the skill of both kick-boxers.
Sligo Mugendo Kickboxing Club would like to thank most sincerely McCormack’s Fuels Limited and the Clarion Hotel, the main sponsors of this ring show.
The night’s other sponsors, Heatmerchants, Sligo Motors Ltd (trading as Regional Stores), Thomas Connolly’s Bar, Holborn Street, Brian Mullins Insurance Brokers and Sean Feehily, are also thanked.
The organisers also thank the various kickboxers – including those from Sligo and all over Ireland – who took part.
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