‘RUMBLE IN THE HILLS’: Professional boxing to make Donegal return
Professional boxing returns to the hills of Donegal in November.
Joe Ward leads a stellar cast for ’Rumble In The Hills’, which will take place at the Aura Leisure Complex in Letterkenny on November 18.
‘Rumble In The Hills’ is the latest show hosted by Elite Sheer and features a series of terrific talents and blockbuster bouts in the splendid area, which will house a 2,000 capacity.
Former Irish amateur star Joe Ward (9-1, 5KOs) will headline the night in his first bout in Ireland as a pro. The 29-year-old is a three-time European amateur gold medalist, who also won two silver and one bronze at the amateur World Championships and represented Ireland at the 2016 Olympic Games.
In the main event in Letterkenny, the Moate southpaw will face Prince Oko Nartey (11-1, 10KOs) over eight rounds at light heavyweight.
‘Prince of God’ Nartey arrives in Ireland having secured ten of his eleven victories inside the distance.
Rising Belfast ace James McGivern (7-0, 2KOs) will feature in the co-headline bout. ‘The Natural’, a Commonwealth Youth Games gold and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, will challenge for the Celtic lightweight title.
The Walsh brothers, Liam and Paddy, will look to build their respective professional records.’Kingdom Kid’ Liam Walsh (5-0-2, 2KOs) and ‘Pretty Boy’ Paddy Walsh (2-0, 1KO) will be against yet-to-be-confirmed opponents.
Dubliner Craig O’Brien (13-3, 2KOs) will return to action in the north west and Donegal’s London-based super-middleweight Danny Boyle (2-0-1) will get a chance to showcase on a home show.
Ukrainian super-welterweight Maksym Molodan (2-0), who is now based in Ireland, is back after quick-fire wins over Dmytro Klochko and Mykola Trofymenko in September and will look to announce himself in style to his new Irish audience.
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Tyler Jolly (2-0, 2KOs) is two-from-two as a pro and will bring his exciting talents to Donegal having beaten Vojtech Majer and Frank Madsen so far this year, while while Galway heavyweight Jason Myers will make his pro debut and Navan super-feather Cain Lewis (3-0-1) aims to maintain his unbeaten record.
“The card is stacked with unbelievable talent,” said Jason Quigley of Sheer Sports.
“It is an honour for us to have Joe Ward as one of the main fights. I boxed with Joe and competed with him for years as an amateur. If you look at his resume, he was one of the most successful in the amateur scene. Joe is working with Lou DiBella in New York and we’re working together on bringing Joe home for this fight.
“James McGivern is an absolutely fantastic talent and he can really go places. James and Tyler Jolly have won Commonwealth Games medals and they have fan-friendly styles that can make them special.
“The Walsh brothers are multiple national champions who are great talents and are very exciting in the ring.
“It’s very important to get local boxers on the local shows. When we’re bringing this to Donegal, we felt that it was important to give a Donegal boxer a crack at the show. Growing a fanbase from the roots up is vital in boxing and this will do Danny Boyle the world of good. It will be brilliant for the people of Donegal to shout on one of their own.”
This will be the first time in 13 years that a professional show will be held in Donegal. World middleweight title challenger Quigley believes this can be the dawn of a new era for the sport in his native county.
He said: ‘“The Aura is a fabulous venue and it’s brilliant for us to be looking forward to bringing people in and putting Donegal on the map.
“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to put professional boxing back in Donegal again. I would love it if this could start something new, something fresh, something for boxing in the county. A show like this can show young boxers in the county what is ahead of them. It can encourage youngsters to give it a proper go and when you’re doing that it’s very important to bring the fanbase along.
“I really want the people of Donegal to get behind this. This will be a great night and some amazing fights will create a cracking atmosphere. This will be a night to remember and there will be moments that will always live in the minds of the people who are there. This could be a turning point for a new era in professional boxing in the area.”
