McDonnell wins Ireland’s first kickboxing world title
Roscommon native Gary McDonnell, who competes with Claremorris Ultimate Kickboxing Club, is Ireland's first professional kickboxing world champion. Picture: KO Media
There were jubilant celebrations across the west of Ireland as Gary McDonnell became the first ever Irish person to win a WAKO professional kickboxing world title.
The 31-year-old, who is from Ballyforan, Co Roscommon and is a member of Claremorris Ultimate Kickboxing Club, had his hand raised after a gruelling contest over 12 rounds in a toe-to-toe battle against Norway's Henry MacPherson in Clontarf, Dublin, on Saturday last, May 11.
Gary paid tribute to his parents Sharon and Malachy who have always supported him and are his number one fans. He also gave thanks to his coach, Phelim Halligan, and his sparring partners Alex Halligan and Jason Huane of Claremorris Ultimate Kickboxing Club. “I have so many people to thank. This is 15 years in the making. All my sparring partners over the years to all my team mates at every training session for KBI. Thank you so much to Damian Darker for making this fight happen and congratulations to Damian on his win too and defending his European K1 WAKO title,” said Gary.
This was Gary’s first 12 round fight, with him taking the huge step up from the amateurs which is three two-minute rounds with head gear and 10oz gloves. The head gear came off for this fight, however, and 8oz gloves were the chosen gloves by WAKO.
Gary and his opponent MacPherson are no stranger to each other. They have fought each other on five different occasions over the past eight years. Both kickboxers had beaten each other in the past, so it was a title fight that both were capable of winning.
Normally a very explosive fighter from the first bell, Gary took a more conservative approach with the longer distance, and the scoring was very close in the early rounds. Only in the seventh round did Gary begin showing his trademark explosiveness as he piled on the pressure and dropped his opponent. Gary kept up the very high intensity in the next round but fatigue in the ninth saw the very exhausted fighter on the back foot as a determined MacPherson was on fire and secured the round easily.
The tenth round was a 50/50 affair, with McDonnell showing signs of exhaustion but corner men Phelim Halligan and Jim Upton kept Gary on his feet in the corner after the round ended. Gary went out in the 11th and penultimate round and found his second wind and started to showcase his class.
It went all down to the final round with both lads on the wire. With his army of supporters behind him all on their feet, Gary pull the best round of his life and there was no doubt that he had done enough to secure the win to be crowned the new champion of the world.
He is on a well-deserved break for the next few weeks, but Gary is looking ahead to a training camp in Finland in late July and then the European Championships which will be coming around again in November.
