BRIAN CROSSAN PICKED up his third Irish kick-boxing title in Derry on Saurday night.
The Letterkenny native made the move to low kick rules and to yet another organisation to unify three of the major organisations titles – he now holds the WKA, WKU and WRSA irish titles in his collection.
Photo caption: Tommy McCafferty, Brian Crossan, Rhys Nugent and Ronnie Brennan all smiles at the Maldron Hotel in Derry on Saturday night
Crossan secured his latest accolade in the performance of his illustrious kickboxing career in the Maldron Hotel in front of a sold out venue.
He brought a huge support with him and they could be heard in their full glory as Crossan made the walk to the ring to take on the teak tough Stevie McNutt from Kcam Kickboxing in Dungannon, Co Tyrone.
Both fighters are seasoned veterans of the sport and this could be seen in what many regarded as the most technical fight of the night with McNutt coming forward with hard and heavy boxing and Crossan countering with kicks and and some measured angles.
The first two rounds were back and forth, with both competitors scoring some lovely shots. The third round was when Crossan came into his own. Well known for his fitness and durability, Crossan started to pick up the tempo with more movement and angles forcing McNutt to miss with his attack.
Crossan was landing heavy with the counters and this seem to frustrate McNutt and forced him to try and close the distance but Crossan was light on his feet and crafty in his movement and wasn’t there to be caught.
The bout went to the title distance of five rounds and when the judges score cards where collected it was a unanimous decision to the Letterkenny native to the delight of his coach and all his supporters.
Another Letterkenny man was also on the cards in the form of Rhys Nugget, who, at only 17 years ond is one for the future.
After having difficulty getting the youngster matched, Aaron Coyle from Joe Wilson’s ‘Black Dragon’ stepped up and offered to do an exhibition bout (no decision).
This was one for the crowd to watch as the two youngsters put on a masterclass in K1 rules kickboxing (low kicks and knees allowed) with a very technical display.
Nugget’s coach Tommy McCafferty said he was “very happy to see the first of his Muay Thai students making the move into the competative arena.”
Nugent, after just over a year of training, definitely impressed the crowd and the judges on the night with his technical ability and craft.
The future is bright for Kickboxing and Muay Thai with Tommy McCafferty’s ‘Kickboxing LK’ at the forefront of the future generation
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