By Eric Cundelan
‘Friday Night Fights’ was launched by professional fighter and head coach of Warriors Gym, Cian Cowley.
‘Friday Night Fights’ aims to bridge the gap between amateur and professional Muay Thai in Ireland by creating an amateur event with the atmosphere of a bigger show – the walkouts, the lights, DJ and bar, and the crowd. The aim is to showcase Irelands best up-and-coming talent, giving them a platform where they can develop their skills.
Muay Thai, which translates to Thai Boxing, is a combat sport originating from Thailand. In Muay Thai a fighter will use all their limbs; kicks, knees, punches and elbows to outscore his/her opponent, earning it the title ‘The Art of Eight Limbs’.
Amateur fighters will usually compete for a spot on the undercard of the bigger shows such as WMO Fight Series, or Deliverance in Belfast. To get their experience, up-and-coming fighters will compete on interclubs, which are competitions that are usually held inside gyms.
“Interclubs are just glorified spars, whereas Friday Night Fights provides that whole atmosphere of a Muay Thai show, but on a smaller scale,”, Cian told The City. He believes it’s very important for amateur fighters to get a taste of what these shows are like to compete in.
On Friday September 20th, 46 up-and-coming fighters made the walk to the ring in the Sallynoggin Inn, South Dublin.