Ryan Fanneran was the sole Donegal winner on Saturday at the Mayhem Martial Arts & Fitness’ ‘Showtime 5’ night in Derry.
By Chris McNulty at The White Horse Hotel
The White Horse Hotel was packed-to-overflowing as patrons stood on their tip-toes to get a glimpse of the action in the ring on a night when Convoy native Paul McNamee, from Peak Physique, left gutted after a debatable decision defeat in a title eliminator.
Of the six fighters from Donegal clubs, Fanneran was the lone man to have his hand raised in victory.
Fanneran agred to his fight with Dylan Harley of Mayhem just six days beforehand.
Fighting out of the Kickboxing LK/Letterkenny Muay Thai club Fanneran – making his K1 debut – came into his own towards the end of the first round.
It had been a cagey beginning before Fanneran took control with a barrage of punches.
When Fanneran, trained by Tommy McCafferty – the former ISKA World Light middleweight and ISKA Middleweight kickboxing champion – got into a rhythmn with his kicks, Harley was in trouble in the second round.
However, Harley came out strong in the third round, but Fanneran managed to stave off the threat of the Derryman and landed a rousing finish.
“Ryan is one of the most dedicated students I have and walks from the Mountain Top to the Aura Leisure cCntre no matter what the weather is for training,” McCafferty said.
“His dedication to his art paid off in an excellent performance. We took the fight on late notice but I had every confidence in Ryan as I have seen what he is capable of in training. We only let them compete when they are ready.
“It’s a busy few weeks ahead with lads fighting in Athlone and Dungannon before the end of the month.”
McNamee went into his title eliminator with an unblemished 3-0 record.
The Convoy man and Peak Physique fighter was up against Ronan O’Kane from Mayhem in what turned out to be a cracking 80kgs bout.
McNamee left everything on the canvas and could reflect on a night when he gave his all, but all three judges sides with O’Kane to give the Derryman a unanimous win.
McNamee had big spells of pressure in each stanza and finished the contest well on top, but O’Kane had perhaps caught the eye with the cleaner shots, even if McNamee had been the busier of the two.
The fighters from Peak Physique who were in action on Saturday night
There was plenty for McNamee and his coach, Abdul El Absy, to be happy with and it’s likely that he’ll get another shot at prizes in the months ahead, though the disappointment of a hardly-deserved defeat was evident.
Peak Physique’s Hamayun Nassiry and Mayhem’s Ciaran McBride staged one of the night’s best fights that was ruled a draw at the end up.
It felt like an anti-climax that there wasn’t a winner but, then again, neither deserved to lose it.
Nassiry had persistent issues with his headguard during the bout, but the Afghan took the fight to McBride from the early stages.
McBride grew as the fight went on and staged a brilliant last round to earn a debut draw.
Nassiry tired in that third round, but it was a night when he showed plenty of good qualities.
Ryan O’Donnell, also out of the Peak Physique stable, came with a big finish against Mayhem’s Matt Norby in an 85kgs bout, but it wasn’t enough to sway the judges.
A belting contest had the capacity crowd on their feet. Debutant O’Donnell landed several massive shots, but Norby repelled them and it was he who was the victor by unanimous decision.
El Absy and Peak Physique are a club on the rise and the PPK coach has injected real confidence and hope into novice fighters he hopes to turn into contenders.
The trust from coach to fighter was obvious and is something that should stand to them as they aim to build on what will have been an encouraging
“It’s not about the win or the loss, it’s about getting in the best shape of your life, meeting new people, having fun and chasing your dreams,” Al Absy said.
Peak Physique youngster Oisin McCrabbe was pulled in at an hour’s notice as a replacement fought an exbition with Mayhem’s Rio Oxle while PT Kickboxing’s Rhys Boyle – another who took the fight at short notice – was stopped in the second round by Mayhem’s Ethan Mullan.
