[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he penultimate fight of this year’s DCU RAG Rumble event had to be stopped after two rounds, due to one of Peter Wade’s front teeth getting knocked out by Thomas Walsh.
‘The Pistol’ Wade started the strongest and comfortably won the first round before Walsh retaliated in the second, at St. Pat’s Auditorium on Monday, November 21st.
Wade’s speed and elusiveness did not phase his opponent who was taking hits remarkably well and began to deliver big hits as the fight went on.
Both fighters’ noses drew blood in the second round before the referee called a halt to the encounter which resulted in the only tied match of the night.
That fight was a perfect lead into the night’s main event between Conor Noonan and Michael O’Rourke.
The ‘Noonetorious’ came out victorious on this occasion by a unanimous decision to delight of the majority of the crowd on the night.
From the walk in, it was clear that this match was worthy of the main event and the atmosphere in the crowd was replicated in the ring.
Noone started on the front foot landing an early uppercut which O’Rourke couldn’t quite come back from in the first round.
O’Rourke’s nose began to bleed in the second but he hung in, with his reach helping him fend off his opponent despite Noone’s good movement and heavy landing on occasions.
The third and final round had spectators on their feet with excitement as Conor Noone began to pull away ever so slightly.
O’Rourke was gracious in defeat while Noone couldn’t help but give co-host of the night, Siobhán Nic Thaidhg, a kiss in the ring during the post-fight interview.
DCU RAG Chairperson, Aoife Murphy, registered a win over Lucy ‘Mango’ Mangan in the only female contest of the night and becomes the third society chairperson to win their fights in as many years.
Murphy, who had a height advantage of six inches over Mangan, used this asset extremely well and was landing punches inside the first 20 seconds.
However, Mangan kept charging at ‘Sugar Ray’ Murphy but it was not enough to prevent a defeat in the third fight of the night.
Fight seven of the night saw DCU RAG vice-chair Vito ‘Vengabus’ Moloney-Burke lose out the Pádraig Henry on a unanimous decision.
The fight got off to an even start but Moloney-Burke couldn’t take advantage of his longer reach and was punished by Henry.
The society’s Vice-Chairperson struggled to land shots and got tired as the fight went on, finishing with a busted nose.
The fight previous witnessed Sean Óg Cairns display great movement and timely combinations to record a victory over Daire Healy.
Sean Óg was determined from the first bell and didn’t give Healy a chance to get going early on. Despite Healy’s good third round, Sean Óg won by unanimous decision.
Although he attempted a Conor McGregor-esque post-match-interview, co-presenter Shane O’Mahony cut the interview short saying, “I’m going to stop there before you embarrass yourself.”
The opening fight of the night saw Riain ‘The Rock of Cashel’ Condon record the first win in an entertaining confrontation over Cal Commons.
‘Can’t Cope’ Commons was landing punches albeit not many were damaging as opposed to Condon who possessed superior power and a strong finish to leave the judges with little decision making.
The subsequent fight didn’t fall far behind in terms of excitement with Danny ‘The Dragon Born’ Quinn winning unanimously over Oscar ‘The Trashman’ Andrews. Quinn did tire as the contest went on but his fiery start set up a series of combinations that got him over the line.
Fight four between Rob ‘The Kaiser’ Kaiser and Calvin McCrea was evenly contested but lacked any big hits in the first two rounds.
However, McCrea’s patience paid off and his longer reach was evident with a strong third round that recorded the fourth consecutive unanimous decision of the night.
The final fight before the break had the only split decision of the night that went to Donal ‘The Crackshot’ Corrigan.
Fight eight between Joseph Kimani Tony and Gerard Egan portrayed two completely different types of fighter, however it was Kimani Tony who came out the winner.
Egan initially struggled with the speed and power of his opponent but rallied in the second round. Egan struggled to land an adequate amount shots and lost out in the end.
William Dunne
Image credit: Laura Horan
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