Tierney retains title

ON Saturday 25th February Noel ‘The Bolt’ Tierney set out to defend his title at the Carn Grove Hotel, Portadown. First up fighting for Team Hit -Man was Aaron ‘Blockbuster’ O’Neill who took part in an mixed weight exhibition fight with former Northern Ireland Champion Nigel Parkes. Both fighters showed great skill and power. Aaron looked comfortable in dealing with anything the former champion had to throw at him, he look confident with his strikes and at times the former champion found it hard to deal with O’Neills charges. “Our two opponents pulled out at the last minute and Nigel stepped up to give me a fight. He’s a great fighter and I appreciated the chance to get in the ring with him.”
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Mar 2012, 16:07 BST

The fight card hosted great match ups on the night with fighters coming from as far away as Sligo to display their talents and the first of the title defences seen Cookstown Mugendo’s Noel ‘The Bolt’ Tierney defend his W.K.A Northern Ireland Full Contact Middleweight Championship against Greg Thornton.

The first two rounds saw Noel size up Thornton. Staying vigilant Tierney read Thornton to pick his strikes with good timing, which showed after he comfortably won the first round. The third round saw Tierney come alive and the atmosphere grew more and more as the travelling support for Tierney became more apparent. Tierneys axe kick was a strong aspect in this fight. He used them at every opportunity and landed 13 axe kicks to his opponents head in the third round.

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Over the fourth and fifth rounds Tierney again give his opponent no room to manoeuvre and this reflected in the score cards as Thornton was still down by nine kicks at the end of the fifth round. The crowd awaited in anticipation for referee Steven Conners to deliver the official result which seen Tierney once again win by unanimous decision. “I didn’t feel at my best and Greg can hit hard but I felt more comfortable as the fight went on. The fans where brilliant, showing their support kept me going, thanks guys. With this over me now I can focus more on the Irish Open this weekend.”

The Irish Open 2012 will be held in The City West Hotel, Dublin from 2nd - 4th March. Cookstown Mugendo will be entering nine fighters including 2011 Irish Open Champion ‘Lightening Quick’ Dylan Wallace. Wallace won the prestigious title at just 16 years old, a rare achievement in the world of Kickboxing.

The International event is the largest in Europe and the third largest Kickboxing Tournament in the World. Many nations will descend into Dublin to compete for the chance to add this much sought after title to their record. Among these great athletes accompanying Wallace will be Billy ‘Knockout’ Purvis, ‘Sensational’ Sarah Murray, Garth McAleer, Noel ‘The Bolt’ Tierney, ‘Geared-Up’ J.P McGeary, Paul Conway, Aaron ‘Blockbuster’ O’Neill & David ‘Blue Steel’ Bailey.

Through all their preparation we all wish Team Hit-Man the best of luck in a successful trip to Dublin. Anyone wishing to join the club can call Joe - 07956586100. You can also enquire at The Dojo, Union St. Cookstown. Simply call in and check out the 8,000 sqd foot training facility that is Ireland’s largest Dojo.

Related topics:TierneyPortadownNorthern Ireland