12/05/2026
Gloves & Glory 9.
Firstly, a massive thank you to everyone who helped make this event possible. From the officials, referees, judges, medics, timekeepers, DJ, photographers and volunteers, to the W.K.O Ireland and every club that travelled and supported the show, thank you. Events like this only happen because of the hard work behind the scenes and the support from other clubs.
A huge thank you as well to all the coaches, fighters and supporters who packed out Ardmore Community Hall and created an unbelievable atmosphere from the first bell to the last. The energy all night was incredible.
A special congratulations to Billy O'Sullivan on achieving his 10th Dan, an incredible accomplishment and a lifetime dedicated to martial arts and the development of kickboxing. A huge milestone and fully deserved.
Congratulations to Saoirse Hogan Balfe from Carlow on winning the Featherweight Low Kick Irish Title against our own Eve Kirwan after an excellent contest between two top young fighters. Eve showed unbelievable heart, toughness and skill throughout and we couldn’t be prouder of her performance.
Massive congratulations to Robyn Wallace Lenihan on becoming the Super Lightweight Full Contact Irish Champion. Robyn worked hard to drop weight, while Kady Shaw came up in weight so the fight could happen and both girls met in the middle to put on a brilliant contest. Huge respect to both fighters for putting on a fantastic fight and showing what combat sport is all about.
Andy Duggan also brought home the Super Lightweight Low Kick Irish Title after an absolute war with Eamon Markham from Shannon Kickboxing. One of the fights of the night with neither fighter taking a backward step from the opening bell. Massive congratulations to Andrew, and huge respect to Eamon for an unbelievable performance.
A huge congratulations as well to Ben Ginson from birr K-1 kickboxing and self defence club on winning Fighter of the Night after an outstanding performance. A well deserved award and a brilliant display of skill, toughness and composure on the night.
A massive thank you as well to everyone who played a role behind the scenes throughout the night:
Christine Wallace and Lorraine Kirwan on the door keeping everything running smoothly from the moment people arrived. Linda Egan who kept the shop going all evening. Stephen Murray for warming up fighters backstage and helping prepare them for battle. Odin Egan and Troy Egan for helping with security throughout the event. Wayne Hayes for helping in the corners all night. Leah Wallace Lenihan who done a brilliant job as ring girl. Gavin O'Leary who kept the atmosphere alive all night on the decks as DJ. Travis Egan and Leon Doran for help with the set up of the night.
Special mention as well to SJ Duff, only 10 years old, alongside David Power on MC duties — both done an outstanding job speaking in front of a packed crowd and keeping the show flowing all night.
Huge thank you to Loretta Doran on timekeeping duties, Craig Sutton refereeing throughout the night, Aidan Whelan for refereeing and judging the light contact bouts, Stefan Moriarty as chief judge, and Howie Vincent and Stuart Kearney stepping in on judging duties.
A massive thank you as well to all of our sponsors who helped support the event (Full appreciation post incoming). Your support goes a long way towards helping us continue to grow kickboxing locally and provide opportunities for fighters to compete on a big stage. We genuinely appreciate every business and individual who got behind the show and helped make Gloves & Glory 9 possible. Please support the businesses that support local sport.
There were standout performances right across the card and every fighter who stepped into the ring deserves credit. Win, lose or draw, it takes serious courage to get in there and perform under the lights in front of a crowd.
We’re extremely proud of what was achieved on the night and proud to continue building kickboxing in Dungarvan and beyond.
Thank you again to everyone who supported Gloves & Glory 9. The support means everything.
BUDO KICKBOXING, DUNGARVAN 🥊
Train where champions are built.
(Plenty pictures to follow)
