Tag Archives: Thai Boxing

News, Sport

VIDEO: Anthony Steals The Show At Night Of Champions in Horan’s

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David O'Sullivan of Thaiboxing Tralee with Anthony Lonergan and referee Robert Ng at the Night of Champions 2 at Horan's on Saturday night. Photo by Kieran Connolly
David O’Sullivan of Thaiboxing Tralee with Anthony Lonergan and referee Robert Ng at the Night of Champions 2 at Horan’s on Saturday night. Photo by Kieran Connolly

By Mairead Moriarty

HORAN’S Nite Club in town was the set for a different type of entertainment for Tralee on Saturday night.

The showcase of muay-thai and K1 kickboxing went down a treat with the crowd who gathered to see local fighters compete in amateur and professional fights.

The talent on display was as strong as the smell of deep heat that seeped through the arena and there was no shortage of excitement both inside and outside the ring. Hosted by Champion Thai Boxing Tralee, the night was filled with excitement and adrenalin as the locals of Tralee gathered to cheer for their fighting heroes.

The entertainment kicked off with an impressive display of amateur fighting and even the girls got a chance to throw in their punches. Tralee’s Monika Starosz and Castlegar’s Whitney Huish put on a great show but the fight ended in one of the many draws of the night.

Next up was the highlight of the night where 16 year old Anthony Lonergan of Champion Thaiboxing Tralee completely stole the show.

Anthony Lonergan, Tralee, (left) on the offensive against Matty Ryan in their bout on Saturday night. Photo by Kieran Connolly
Anthony Lonergan, Tralee, (left) on the offensive against Matty Ryan in their bout on Saturday night. Photo by Kieran Connolly

He beat his equally impressive and tough opponent Matty Ryan of Westside Kickboxing Athlone to win his first Junior Amateur K1 Irish Title.

The audience erupted as he was declared champion following a tough match and awarded with the title belt. Anthony was very obviously ecstatic and soaked up every ounce of the much deserved euphoria from the cheering crowds.

What a great kid and an inspiration for his peers. His delight was still splashed across his face when we caught up with him backstage. Check out the video below by Murt Mulcahy.

The talent was in full swing and the excitement high with the professional fights towards the end of the night. Tralee’s Jjedrzej (JJ) Rajca took an unfortunate blow close to his left eye in his first round with Aaron Browne of Chaiyo Thaiboxing.

The ringside medics were keeping a cautious eye on the fight and despite the obvious presence of blood in the ring throughout the fight, JJ managed to finish all 3 rounds, resulting in a win for Aaron Browne.

The night certainly prepared many of the fighters from Champion Thai Boxing Tralee who are set to represent Kerry in Thailand over the next few weeks.

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News, Sport

VIDEO: Ding, Ding! ‘Night Of Champions 2’ In Horan’s

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SIXTY Thai Boxers, male and female, will do battle in the ‘Night of Champions 2’  event being in held in Horan’s Nightclub tonight (Saturday).

“The thing that sets us apart is we promise knock-outs, said organiser David O’Sullivan. “Normally on these nights you get maybe two knock outs – we had ten the last time we organised this event,” he said.

Aoife O'Neill
Amateur Thai Boxer Aoife O’Neill in a promotional poster for “The Night of Champions 2”

Amateur fighters will open the night between 6 and 8pm, while from 8:30pm on it’s the turn of the pros.

“We’ll have the best standard of fighters from all the best gyms up and down the country. Thai boxing is very big in Tralee, we have a good loyal following at this stage,” said David.

“People are used to watching fights on TV, but this is the real thing and is a far greater experience,” said David.

Overall there will be 27 fighters from Tralee in the ring, one of whom will be Aoife O’Neill who will contest her first competitive fight.

“I guess I’ll be a bit nervous the night of the fight, but we were told when training for this that if our preparation is right we’ll have nothing to worry about” said Aoife O’Neill.

A quick scan through ‘The Night of Champions 2″ Facebook page you will see attending the event there is about a 50/50 split male and female. I asked Aoife why she thought their was such a large female interest in what is traditionally a male dominated sport.

“The success of Katie Taylor has been massive, she has shown that women can fight as well, also Conor McGregor has provided a lot more interest for the sport,” said Aoife.

“Its been great preparing for the fight, there is a lot to be gained from the preparation and commitment that goes into the training, I haven’t drank for a month!” she said.

Tickets cost €15 if you buy them before the night and €20 on the door. For more information call 087-1811044. See video below for more…