By Jonathan Browne

IT was pandemonium at Leisureland in Salthill on Friday night as hometown boy Kieran Molloy won convincingly on his return to Galway by an unanimous decision after an eight-round contest with Colombian Fernando Mosquera.

It was the first professional boxing show in Galway since 2009 and the sell-out crowd at Leisureland proved that there is an appetite for more. Organaisers sold out the 1,200-seater venue in a few hours and the audience were celebrating all night.

It was a party-like atmosphere with many of the crowd delighted to see pro boxing return to the west. A bigger venue would be needed for the next event, with Molloy himself mentioning the hope to have a show on in the Kingfisher in the University of Galway.

The Oughterard native Molloy dazzled the crowd throughout, showing off his impressive arsenal of skills while looking calm throughout. Mosquera was a difficult if tentative opponent although catching the eye of the crowd with his strong chin and resilience.

Molloy effectively targeted the body, crunching Mosquera’s ribs before finally knocking him out in the fifth. Mosquera was in full survival mode from the start and made it until the last bell. To the pleasure of the spectators, Molloy was then declared the winner with a final score of 80-71, capping off a victorious return to Galway. The win now puts Molloy’s professional career at 5-0 with many hoping he can get a title fight soon.

The crowd welcomed their returning son as renditions of Fields of Athenry were sung throughout. Molloy spoke to the crowd post-fight where he called the occasion “unbelievable” and talked about his progression as a fighter. “I’m still in my beginners’ stage as a professional, get to see I’m improving, progressing all the time. This is about the journey; it was a tough test in a new atmosphere for me headlining in front of 1200 people in my own city.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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