Posted online: Jun 4th, 2009

By Dermot Keys
Letterkenny kickboxer, Tommy McCafferty, added an ISKA World Middleweight Title to his World, European and Commonwealth titles at light-middleweight after an impressive win over Frenchman Dino Perrotto in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, on Saturday.
After a cagey start, both fighters settled into some early exchanges. McCafferty managed to find the target with a number of probing jabs and combinations but his wily opponent was also getting in close and employed some spoiling tactics.
By the fourth round, McCafferty was swelling below the left eye and Perrotto’s head was a constant threat when the pair clinched. Perrotto used plenty of ringcraft to try and disrupt the Letterkenny man’s rhythm and was guilty of holding on a number of occasions. The fierce battle saw both men score some good points and Perrotto continue to target McCafferty’s bleeding eye.
The Frenchman tried to control the centre of the ring in the later rounds of but McCafferty maintained his distance, landing some nice combos and working Perrotto’s head and body. The ninth and tenth rounds were cagey affairs but McCafferty stepped up the pace in finals two rounds.
It was a close fight that saw both men doggedly fight for control but McCafferty came through strongly to defeat a tenacious opponent and claim the vacant title.
PT’s Gym enjoyed a clean sweep in the demonstration bouts and two professional fights on the undercard.
Letterkenny’s Aidan Lafferty won an ISKA Light-middleweight Title after defeating the reigning champion, Shaun Montgomery from Lurgan. Lafferty unleashed some vicious attacks but defended well. Lafferty’s low stance meant that Montgomery struggled to land punches but the local fighter showed aggression and persistence and was rewarded with a knockdown in the third round.
A cruiserweight prestige bout between World Champion, Derry’s Daniel “Pinta” Quigley, and British Champion, David Bell, saw Quigley win in the second round after the fight was called off as a contest after an injury to the Swansea man’s left eye and went to the judges’ scorecards.
There were also wins for Padraig Dunleavy, Natalie McCarron, Shane “Wizzy” Brown and Rory Timony from PT’s Gym.