Olympic boost for boxing, which is a sport requiring discipline and focus

THE Olympics is being credited with a surge in the amount of interest being shown in the fistic art of boxing.

It seems the small screen has elevated the sport to such a degree that ‘Fight Night’ events are sellout successes and thousands of pounds are being raised through them for charities.

Among the entrants for the ‘Hooley in the Cooley’ on September 15 at the multi-sports hall in Bready Cricket Club. is Stacey Sloan, the 22-year-old care worker daughter of Jackie Sloan, of Dunnalong Manor in Bready village.

Far from being horrified by the prospect of her darling daughter stepping into the ring, Jackie has endorsed Stacey and is keen to dispel the vision of boxing as a violent sport.

“Stacey was always very sporty and she got interested in boxing. From an early age she was into things like rugby and excelled in rugby and athletics and then football,” she said.

She really is an all-round sportswoman and is always excelling at whatever she turns her attention to.

“When she took her current job with Glen Caring Stacey did not have the same amount of time to give to sports and athletics and could not be as sporty as before and spend as much time doing sports.

“She is very competitive when it comes to whatever sport she does so when the prospect of doing boxing came up, being a very competitive sportswoman she decided she would take part,” said Jackie.

“She will be competing in the Fight Night in Bready Cricket Club,” she said.

Asked how she felt about her daughter stepping into the boxing ring, Jackie said: “I’m loving it and so is she.Look at the Olympics and how popular it is. Boxing is about discipline. It is about physical fitness and it is about focus. It is not about violence.”

“Boxing is a discipline like any other sport. It also makes Stacey fit and I am absolutely behind her 100 per cent.

Close to 300 tickets had already been sold for the event on September 15, and by the time the entrants and competitors take to the ring there will, hopefully, be a 700-strong audience willing them on, not to mention the fact that each of the competitors will have generated some serious sponsorship for a wide range of charities.