White collar warriors

EVERY one of the 36 boxers who entered the ring in the Queens Hotel last Friday evening did so united in their aim to raise money for Clare Crusaders Clinic in Barefield.
Yet as collectively united as they might have been prior to and after their respective fights, they were on their own for three long, often ferocious minutes once the bell rang.
While ostensibly a charitable event, none of the fighters wanted to be hauled out of the ring before their three allotted minutes had expired, unaware of their own name. The crowd swelled to more than 1,000 people and the longer the evening edged into late night, the more animated the crowd became.
Conor Smith (Inagh) and Cartha Donovan (Donegal) set the tone for the evening when they knocked seven shades of sweat out of each other in the opening bout. Having paid €20 to gain admittance, this was one investment that nobody was about to regret. Rita McInerney (Doonbeg) and Niamh Keogh (Clarecastle) were the first of six female fights. Displaying a ruthless intensity, they laid into each other, so much so that non-boxing aficionados in the crowd were seen covering their eyes. Some of the boxers ring entry technique nabbed as much attention as their subsequent fight.
Take Anthony Sharkey. The former Riverdance lead jigged his way into and around the ring, long before either he or Fergal Conway (Ennistymon) landed a jab on each other.
One of the best technical fights of the night was Mark Sillman’s (Barefield) joust with Padraig McGrath (Quin). The former is a three times Welsh national champion and had a few years on his opponent, who had a few inches to spare, all of which led to a compelling fight.
John Burke’s (Spanish Point) entrance was that of a man confident that he was going to deliver. Accompanied by an Eminem soundtrack and a gallery of supportive females, Burke had to justify his memorable arrival.
He did but so did Kieran Ryan (Newmarket) and three fierce rounds later, both were still standing but just about.
When the Charlene Reynolds (Ennis) went nose-to-nose with Caroline Walsh (Barefield) a hush descended on the venue.
“I would never turn down a good fight,” Charlene proclaimed in the fight night programme. She got one.
In her programme notes Caroline Walsh threatened to use a Big Ben bag to remove the remains of her opponent. Would they live up to their pre-fight trash talk?
Answer – yes.
There wasn’t much sign of what could be termed defensive boxing as they stood toe-to-toe for three absorbing rounds, each seeking to drive the other not just from the ring but to somewhere approaching the Maid of Éireann roundabout.
All of this could have left the final, top of the bill fight, in the shade. Not quite. Ordered by match referee Richard O’Leary to fight bare chested, Mark Fitzgerald (Ennis) and Gerry Quinn (Corofin) produced three vehement minutes of superb boxing. There were times when it looked as if one or the other might keel over but neither did and their ears were assailed with a roof-lifting ovation at the end.
Money raised from The Clare Conquest, which was the county’s first White Collar Boxing event will help to cover the €250,000 cost of running the Clare Crusaders Clinic. The clinic employs six therapists who help more than 160 Clare children who have cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome and other conditions.