Four kickboxing titles on the line on historic night at the Black Box
Date Published: 20-Nov-2012
The Galway Black Dragon Kickboxing Club will promote the biggest Kickboxing fight night in its 17 year history this coming Saturday in the Black Box Theatre when it hosts two IKF All-Ireland title fights, an IKF European title fight and a professional IKF World title fight.
Black Dragon fighter Leona Trautt from Renmore, who has an impressive 7-0 fight record, will take on the unbeaten Sarah Kiely from Deise kickboxing gym in Dungarvan for the IKF Ladies All-Ireland Featherweight title.
Her stablemate James Ward, who is also unbeaten with a 10-0 record (seven by knockout) will face off with Philip Nee from Westside Kickboxing Gym in Athlone for the IKF All-Ireland senior Flyweight title.
Gary Manogue from Castle Park, who also fights out of the Black Dragon camp and is the current IKF 5 Nations champion will take on teak tough French kickboxer Romain Beranger for the IKF Super Welterweight title of Europe.
Manogue has a reputation as a dangerous puncher who likes to finish his opponents off before the final bell but he also has lethal kicks which can take a man out if they land on target.
The Black Dragon Club has also secured the rights to promote the IKF Professional World Light Heavyweight title between Ireland’s Aidan Brooks from the Black Dragon International camp in Dublin and one of central Europe’s top fighters, Odje Manda from Paris.
Brooks, who is managed and promoted by Pete Foley, has won the highest awards in the sport, having won Irish, European and World honours as an amateur and fought on huge promotions in the UK, Belgium, France and Italy. Manda is a police officer in Paris and a veteran of over 90 kickboxing and K-1 fights, and will be one of Brooks’ toughest challenges to date.
They will battle it out over a scheduled 10 rounds under International rules, which also allows kicks to the legs as well as all other areas of the body, but Brooks is also a fearsome puncher and most of his knockout wins have come by way of a savage right cross which have put most of his victims on the canvas.
Manda, who has won several French titles, two European titles and a World title at a different weight division, reckons he has seen it all before and has said that he is not coming to Ireland for a holiday and that Brooks should expect fireworks.Doors open at 6pm and the show is scheduled to kick off at 7pm, and fight fans are advised to arrive early. There are some tickets still available – contact Pete on 087 8119227 for bookings.