Last night two Irish fighters competed in an 8-man-one-night tourney for a winner-takes-all prize of a cool £10,000.
SBG’s Charlie Ward (0-1) was the first fight of the tournament and he was up against it facing “The White Mike Tyson” John Phillips (18-6, 1 NC). Some raised their eyes at a fighter making his pro debut entering a competition featuring some of the UK’s most experienced and dangerous fighters. Despite a promising first round from Ward he got clipped and KO’d in the second round. Phillips would end up winning the tournament.
Irish fan favourite John Redmond (5-9) was up against Kyle Redfearn (8-6) in his first round fight and, according to the events Facebook Page, the Team Ryano fighter did not fair much better than his fellow countryman, Ward, as he suffered a TKO following a flying knee in the first round.
Alan’s Angle: No doubt this will all be a learning curve for Ward who, according to his teammates on social media, is an absolute killer. Losing to a fighter like Phillips is nothing to be ashamed of and the fact that he was doing so well before getting caught is a confidence boost. I would personally not have put a debut fighter in a competition like this but I am sure he will become a better fighter as a result.