Curadh Legends: Booming Browne lifts ISKA title following four round war with Kalif

Despite a late change of venue the Curadh Legends show produced a very memorable night with some out-standing performances.

The Tattersalls Arena or ‘Irish Lumpinee’ as some people referred to it provided an amazing atmosphere and should go down as one of the best Muay Thai/K-1 arenas in the country.

With twenty-one fights we were treated to a stacked card which centred around an Ireland vs England theme. These match-ups were intriguing and allowed the young fighters to test themselves on the International scene.

Hometown favourite Aaron ‘Boom Boom’ Browne (Chaiyo) lifted the roof off the arena when he appeared for his main event fight against Mohamed Kalif (Waterford Thai).

It was a match-up of two very different styles. Browne was relentless going forward while Kalif kept things technical striking from a distance. It was a gritty fight, and they couldn’t be separated after three rounds.

Going into the final round it could have gone either way. Kalif who had been successful with his kicks was struggling to find a way through as Browne caught his leg and countered him. ‘Boom Boom’ used his knees effectively and emerged victorious in front of the vocal home crowd as the new Pro ISKA K-1 Oriental rules 7o kg title holder.

In the co-main event Collie Murphy (Lanka Belfast) represented Ireland as he went in search of the ISKA 4 Nations K-1 86kg title. He faced a strong opponent in Martin Daniel (Contender UK).

Daniel made some early progress, landing with a number of combinations. Not to be outdone Murphy stepped things up a gear and connected with two head kicks in quick succession.

The Englishman attacked again but when Murphy landed a hard right-left combo he was knocked out cold. An impressive way to claim the 4 Nations title. Collie Murphy has a bright future ahead of him if he continues this form.

Elsewhere Islam Bisayev (Bridgestone) produced another top-class performance ending his fight in just one round. Brian Amos (Dublin Thai) is known as a hard striker but found himself on the receiving end of an efficient, powerful Bisayev who was in top from.

The Bridgestone fighter was vastly improved from his last outing at Cage Kings and he looked unstoppable once he let his hands fly. Credit to Amos for making it through the entire round as the pressure never relented, it showed his heart as a fighter.

309’s Fares Faroo edged a close contest with Peter Conroy (Dundalk Thai). Not afraid of using jumping kicks and knees, he proved to be an exciting fighter to watch and used the range advantage well.

Conroy closed the distance and made it difficult for him. He landed lots of points using his knees in the clinch and enjoyed a strong start to the fight. After three rounds it was too close to call but Faroo took the narrowest of victories.

In the opening fight on the main card we witnessed a strong performance by Eria Paplauskas (309). He fought his way to a comfortable victory over Jamie Flynn (Waterford Thai).

Despite a late surge from Flynn, it was relatively smooth sailing for Paplauskas. His shot selection, aggression and dominance proved too much. He had Flynn on the back foot for the first two rounds, landing a lot of heavy hits with every attack. A well-deserved victory for the 309 man.

The amateur card also produced some memorable moments with a lot of raw talent in action.

Lee Coakley (Lionheart) and Gerard Kennedy (309) went to war over three rounds. There’d been a lot of tension surrounding the bout and it spilled over into the ring producing an entertaining fight.

Kennedy got the better of their exchanges in round one and looked comfortable heading into the second. Coakley connected with a head kick which knocked the 309 fighter to the canvas swinging the direction of the fight.

Coakley was now on top and he found his range landing a number of body kicks. Kennedy never stopped attacking but the Lionheart fighter done just enough to claim the victory. It played out as a thrilling encounter and was one of the highlights on the night.

The match-up between Charley Kelly (Jai Sua Bray) and Stu ‘Big Country’ Gibson (Contenders UK) was a battle of the goliaths. Two big men who left everything they had in the ring.

Kelly used his height advantage to keep Gibson at a distance and let his hands fly in the early rounds. ‘Big Country’ knew he had to take the fight to him and closed the distance in the second. He walked forward attacking Kelly but found it difficult to break down his defence.

Kelly was more technical with his striking and took a deserving win. Both fighters lay on the ground at the final bell exhausted, showing the true spirit of Muay Thai.

Other notable performances include Cy Cleray’s (Lion’s Den) unanimous decision victory over Jamie Lawlor (Jai Sua Greystones) and Jack Taylor (Contender UK) narrow win against Nathan Newman (Dublin Thai).

Despite a tentative start things cranked up a level in the second round. Lawlor found success with an early leg sweep but Clerary got back up and brawled with him in the middle. He seemed to be getting the better of their exchanges as it went back and forth in the third round. It turned out to be a cracking match-up in the end.

Jack Taylor had Newman on the canvas in round one after he connected with a big right hand. Newman fought back in the second with a well-timed leg sweep and took the fight to him. In the final round Taylor came out hungry for the win and pushed Newman on to the back foot.  A very close fight which the home crowd thoroughly enjoyed.