Despite having no Muhammed Alis, George Foremans or Katie Taylors on show last night, the Suas Trinity Rumble in the Jungle RAG Week event followed the success of last year to successfully grab the imagination of Trinity students and create another night of quality entertainment. Building on the previous night’s successful Rose of Trinity event, the fight brought excitement and action to an unusual club night which went well into the early hours.
With fighters coming from both Trinity and the Trinity-affiliated Marino College, the night proved a rare but welcome chance for both fighters and onlookers from the two different college communities to mix. All fighters spent over a month training in both fitness and sparring in preparation for their big fights on the night, and were coached by Sean and Paddy Headon of Headon Boxing Academy.
Before the fight there was a sense of palpable anticipation, as the crowds began to enter the venue to see a boxing ring taking centre stage. District 8 proved the perfect venue for the event, with the usual dancefloor converted into a viewing space for the boxing ring below. Music provided by Trinity’s Battle of the Bands finalists Moogee kept the crowd entertained during the interval while Bora Bora DJs played long into the night.
With each fighter picking their own walk-out music, the eclectic range of choices enabled students to successfully demonstrate their own personality to go with their fighter’s aura, with songs ranging from the typical pump-up tunes of “Shipping out to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys to “No Church in the Wild”, and “Gasolina” and the more unusual “YMCA.” Also included was a nod to a classic Simpsons episode with “Why Can’t We be Friends?”. Each fight comprised three one-and-a-half minute rounds, giving ample opportunities for the new fighters to demonstrate the skills that they had learned as well as giving their friends in attendance the chance to get behind them.
The first fight of the night was between the University Philosophical Society’s (The Phil) Harry Morris and Trinity Europa Society’s Fiachra McCann, with the Phil’s Morris coming out the victor in an intense and enthralling fight that set the tone for the rest of the night.
While all fights on the night proved competitive and hard-fought, highlights included DU History’s Cian Kelly scoring the first knockdown of the night against Suas Trinity’s Ciaran Ó’Baoghill, while Abbie O’Neill of Trinity Vincent de Paul defeated Mariam Ahmad of Dublin University Boxing Club. Meanwhile The University Times‘s own Sports Editor, Dillon Hennessy, put on a show for his fans in one of the best fights of the night as he taught Quiz Soc’s Jack Feehan a sore lesson.
Trinity RAG Week continues with the RAG Ball at Opium Rooms this evening, with music from Midnight Disco and Bora Bora.
