BY RYAN FERRY
A FULL house is expected in the Mount Errigal Hotel on Friday night for the ‘Clash of the Clubs’ White Collar Boxing event.
Letterkenny Rugby Club and St Eunan’s GAA club have managed to persuade some of their members to don gloves and raise money for their respective side.
Letterkenny RFC Chairman Christopher Digimas explained where the event originated from.
“It was done before in 2014. I would be friendly with Andy McGlynn, and we had whispered about it in the rugby club that we should do it again.
“They were played out because there were too many done but that was a good while ago and we felt there was an opening there to do it again.
“Andy got onto the ‘Eunan’s ones and we said we would have a meeting about it in the Mount Errigal which feels like five years ago but it was October or November time.
“We got a small team together and put it out to the potential fighters and we started ringing around a few.
“It wasn’t hard to persuade people. There was actually an over subscription at the start and then when people realised how much dedication was required, a few slipped away and then the sparring shocked a few people.
“The idea of boxing is great until you get punched in the face!
“The training started early in January with some technique sessions and then it went up to two a week.”
The Boxing starts on Friday at 7pm and tickets will be available online or at the door on the night.
Digimas is appreciative of all the support that has come their way. He also gave special mention to his clubmates John Kelly, Ciaran Clarke and Damien Mulkearns for their work in the background.
“The tickets are flying. We have sold a lot online and then we handed out physical tickets and the amount of people that have come back looking for extra tickets is unbelievable.
“It’s going to be a full house.
“It will be split 50-50 and the sponsorship has been brilliant.
“We have a media company coming in that will put all the advertising up on screens.
“Ollie Harvey came into his own with that. He must have got a spreadsheet off revenue or something because every business within a fifty mile radius, he seemed to get money off them.
“There’s a couple of fights where people from the same club are squaring off just with the way it worked with weights and different things.
“But we will want to look after our side and show these gaelic boys that they are just amateurs.”