Eric defeats Donegal challenge in bill-topper

LOCAL Eric Daly topped the bill at the Black Dragon full body contact kickboxing fight in Gort Community Centre last Saturday night.
Over 300 people attended the event and Daly had good support, as he defeated Donegal’s Chris Coyle.
Also in action were Cathal Manning, who now lives in Gort, and Feidhlim Dunne from Kinvara. Both were winners on the night.
Pete Foley of the Black Dragon Club said that it had been a good night. “There were around 300 people there. It was probably a bit smaller than the attendance last year but they were a nice crowd and there was a very good atmosphere. They clapped everyone and there was no booing. A lot of the fighters wouldn’t have been used to that.”
He said that the standard of fighting on the night had been very good and the three local fighters had done very well.
“Cathal Manning won his fight, which was under K-1 rules. It’s a different form of combat and it was a tough, tough battle. He dropped his opponent with a full shin bone kick to the side of the jaw. In fairness, he did fight on, but Cathal won on a unanimous points decision.
“Eric won unanimously too but it was a much closer fight. He normally fights at 63kg but we couldn’t get an opponent for him at that weight, even though we looked all over Britain and Ireland. Pheilim Dunne’s fight was the best one of the night. He was fighting a guy from Dublin and he won as well,” he said.
Speaking to The Clare Champion, Eric Daly said he was happy with his night’s work. “It was a good fight, he was very tough. It was a very hard fight and it could have gone either way.”
He said that topping the bill had put a little extra pressure on him. “There was a good crowd there and there was a lot of shouting for every fight. I was a bit nervous being in the main event but it’s alright when you win,” he said.
Eric studies computers in Galway and he says the kick boxing requires a fair bit of commitment. “I train four days a week, it’s all in Galway and I’m fairly flat out with it.”
The results from last Saturday night are;
1. Saoirse Joyce (Galway) (Win – Rd 1 – AB) V Tara Mc Ginty (Tralee); 2. John Carraig (Galway) V Mark McConnell (Cappoquin) Win by decision (28-29, 28-29, 27-30); 3. Dylan Casey (Galway) V Dylan Mc Kay (Thurles) (Win – TKO Rd 3 – Casey is medically suspended for 30 days until 18 October.