Crossmolina Chronicle Article 2011 (Number 1)

It's A Knockout!

As the opening strains of Emerson, Lake and Palmer's "Fanfare for the Common Man" reverberated around the function room of The Dolphin hotel the crowd rose to their feet in anticipation of the battle ahead. The first boxer to enter the arena was Noel O'Boyle and his arrival heralded the fruition of an event that had its seed planted four months previously. Ronan O'Mara had first floated the idea of a White Collar Boxing Night in late Spring and he dedicated himself to making the vision a reality. The first task was not only to find willing participants but for those people to appeal to a wide enough audience to attract the biggest possible crowd. Over the next few weeks approaches were made to suitable candidates around the locality and slowly the fight card began to take shape. However, before the volunteers could even don their gloves they were obliged to fulfil two preliminary requirements which would benefit both them and the organisations involved. The first port of call was Doctor Paul Nolan who conducted thorough medical checks on all of the lads early one Saturday morning. Thankfully everybody received a clean bill of health and all that remained was the signing of legal documents which would prevent any wranglings should something go wrong. Their reward for all of this was eight weeks of intense training with the Crossmolina/Ardagh Boxing Club that would challenge them physically in ways that they had never experienced before. Even the youngsters amongst the ranks who would play sport regularly commented how this new form of exertion would leave them exhausted after only a few minutes of activity. Anybody who might have underestimated the work involved certainly had their eyes opened after that first night. As the weeks progressed the pugilists learned the basics of the sweet science, from sparring to defence, and the camaraderie in the camp blossomed accordingly. But this bonhomie didn't prevent some hefty punches from being thrown and there were a few black eyes in evidence as the intensity increased in the final weeks.By the time the big night came around everybody was buzzing in anticipation of the town's first ever White Collar Boxing Night. Ticket sales had been brisk in advance of the night and any available seats were soon snapped up by people arriving that evening. The Dolphin was reserved for boxing patrons only that night and it was nearly full to capacity by the time the entrance music for the first match began.

The curtain-raiser between boxing veteran O'Boyle and relative novice Noel Ryan sparked proceedings perfectly with solid punches being exchanged in the course of an even contest. The qualified boxing referee who was on hand to ensure fair play was unable to decide between O'Boyle's savvy and Ryan's courage so he decreed that the result was a draw. The crowd roared their appreciation for both fighters and eagerly looked forward to the next clash. While they waited they were entertained by their MCs for the night, Peadar Flynn and Stephen Rowland, whose banter provided some light relief between the more serious fare being offered by gladiators in the ring. Indeed, the pair seemed more concerned with the action taking place between rounds rather than during them as their minds (and eyes) drifted in the direction of Candy, the score card girl who would parade around in a figure-hugging skimpy dress as the fighters took a breather. The second encounter was between Liam O'Mara and David O'Boyle and this was preceded by the sight of one of their corner men entering the ring with an ordinary trouser belt held aloft over his head in a parody of the championship belts that would be fought for in the professional ranks. The fight itself provided an intriguing contrast of styles with O'Mara's height and punching reach giving him an obvious advantage. This absorbing contest was followed by the self-styled "Kangaroo Kid" Trevor Mangan going head-to-head with Sinclair Gibbons in what proved to be another bone-jarring clash. The height advantage proved critical for Gibbons though and despite some game resistance from Mangan the Lahardane man was awarded the victory. In between fights throughout the night the crowd were introduced to young local boxers, both girls and boys, who had been performing with distinction at provincial and national level. The amount of boxing talent in the locality is quite staggering and they are a testament to the excellent work being done in the boxing clubs. The final bout before the interval was a showdown between Ronan O'Mara and James Carolan. The popular DJ entered the ring to huge applause but he was completely over-shadowed by O'Mara's entrance which brought the house down. The back doors of the room were flung open and the roar of a motorbike engine as it entered ensured that everybody's attention was immediately drawn to the posse of mean hombres attired in suits and sunglasses either side of it. The cavalcade of man and machine escorted the challenger O'Mara, who was perched on the pillion seat, all the way to ringside where he dismounted to rapturous applause. A bruising contest was brought to an abrupt halt in the second round when O'Mara began bleeding from his nose and Doctor Nolan was required to conduct some running repairs. After a few minutes of a delay the battle resumed and the sight of a blood-splattered vest and boxing ring only added to the raw nature of the event.

After all of the excitement the half hour intermission afforded the audience a chance to avail of refreshments and the scent of hot dogs wafting through the room was enough to make anyone hungry. Action recommenced with the hilarious sight of an eager Morgan O'Malley trying to win favour with the crowd by prancing into the ring wearing two huge inflatable novelty gloves and shadow-boxing clumsily in a display of great showmanship. His opponent Barry Molloy matched the entrance by entering the arena flanked by a crew posing as butchers and kitted out with the full butcher's coat regalia. The fight itself was a spirited contest and there was very little to choose between the participants. The penultimate clash of the night ignited instantly like a firework and didn't fizzle out until the final bell when both combatants were drained. Dessie Maughan and Patrick Gallagher provided an action-packed rock-em, sock-em bonanza that had the crowd on their feet from start to finish. Both fighters attacked relentlessly from the very beginning and the only surprise was that neither landed a knockout blow, such was the ferocity of the exchanges. As midnight approached the final bout between Martin Cosgrove and Colm "Bubba" Carolan treated the punters to another Clash of the Titans. Ultimately the contest proved too close to call and the referee, who had seemingly angered the crowd with every decision he had made up to this point, decided to abdicate responsibility and in a Pontius Pilate moment deferred to the crowd for their judgement. With chants of "Cossie" and "Bubba" ringing around the place it was impossible to decide who had more support but the fervent nature of the support for both confirmed that the real winner on the night had been the people in attendance who had been treated to a thoroughly entertaining night of action. It only remained for Ronan O'Mara to thank all the participants and the sponsors who made the event possible. And with that the curtain came down on Crossmolina's first ever White Collar Boxing Night.