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Boos ring out in Dublin as judges deny valiant Kingdom Warrior

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1 year ago

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Kevin Cronin lands a punch on Emmet Brennan during their controversial bout at the 3Arena in Dublin. Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.

Kerry boxer Kevin Cronin was on the wrong side of a contentious split decision after a brilliant performance against former Olympian Emmet Brennan at the 3Arena in Dublin on Friday.

Cronin appeared to have done more than enough to win the bout and capture the BUI Celtic Super Middleweight title but only one of the three judges scored the fight in his favour.

The Milltown man was left visibly furious after the result was announced and the crowd – who one might expect to be on the side of local lad Brennan – jeered loudly.

Brennan read the room and bristled at the notion that Cronin was robbed.

“A close fight isn’t controversial. It has to go either way. He probably did the harder work on the inside but I was blocking a lot. And then the second I was getting to middle distance I was catching him with the one-two. I had the cleaner, clearer punches. It was a tight fight. But tight fights aren’t robberies, they have to go either way.

“He’s tough. No matter what you hit him with, he’s going to keep on coming.

“In terms of my professional career, it’s the best night of my life.”

Cronin was magnanimous in defeat, while also acknowledging the harsh nature of the outcome.

“Emmet, thank you for a great fight. Nothing but respect for you and your team after that.

“I’ll let you all have your own verdict on it but I couldn’t be prouder of what me and my team showed the world. I’m battered, bruised and heartbroken and have missed out on so much life with family and friends while chasing [this] opportunity. It just breaks my heart and I think I deserve a lot more from boxing.”

Calling for a rematch, Cronin’s manager Michael Conlon said the Kingdom Warrior should have won by two rounds.

Meanwhile, UFC CEO Dana White, who was sitting ringside (the event was live on UFC Fight Pass), said Cronin “clearly won”.

“I mean that's devastating for the kid's career. It's brutal. I don't even know if it deserves a rematch. If that was judged correctly, nobody would be screaming for a rematch. Cronin would be moving on to whatever he's going to do next if it was judged properly.

“I don't have the answers right now, but I believe Cronin won the fight.”

As for what comes next, Cronin has long been angling for a big fight on Kerry soil. Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, he wrote: “The magnitude of a homecoming at this stage would be massive. Any stadium!”

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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3 weeks ago

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7 November 2025

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Paudie O’Connor National Cup (Round 1)

Utility Trust St Paul’s v GCU Brunell

Saturday 7.30pm

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

The St Paul’s women’s team will be hoping to get their National Cup adventure off the ground on Saturday when they welcome 2024 champions Brunell to Killarney. Tip-off in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre is at 7.30pm.

Paul’s have displayed some fine early season form, although their unbeaten start in the Super League came to an abrupt end last weekend when they lost to the Trinity Meteors in Dublin. James Fleming’s side weren’t at their best on the day but they were well in contention heading into the final quarter with the scores at 47-45 in favour of the hosts. The Meteors pushed on in the fourth, however, eventually running out 63-53 winners.

St Paul’s scorers on the night were Maisie Burnham (13), Tara Cousins (12), Lorraine Scanlon (12), Lovisa Hevinder (9), Denise Dunlea (5) and Leah McMahon (2).

The Killarney club are now joint second in the table alongside the Meteors with both teams holding a 4-1 record. Killester are top having won each of their first five games.

Paul’s opponents on Saturday, Brunell, have won three out of five league matches so far.

LAKERS

The Utility Trust St Paul’s Lakers have now won three of their last four games in Division 1 of the Men’s National League following an impressive home victory over Moycullen in Killarney.

Eoin Carroll and Jack O’Sullivan made significant contributions of the Boys in Black; Carroll hit 17 points and collected 13 rebounds while O’Sullivan had 14 points, 12 rebounds and some spectacular blocks.

Steve Kelly posted 30 points and the durable Sam Grant played every second, adding 21 points along the way.

The Lakers started well before the visitors found their footing and the sides went in level at the half-time break after scores by home captain Carroll. There was still nothing to separate the teams entering the fourth quarter (68-65) but buckets by Carroll, Pablo Murcia and Grant opened up a nine-point lead. Moycullen fought back admirably, however, cutting the deficit to just four, but Luke O’Hea’s charges held firm to prevail by eight (88-80).

Next up is a cup tie against the Tipperary Talons, a side they defeated by 30 points just a couple of weeks ago. The cup can be very different to the league, though, and they will need another solid performance to advance to the next round. Tip-off in in Killenaule is at 6.30pm on Saturday.

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Chances of Kerry v Cork Munster final in 2026 decrease as Munster GAA delay seeding plan

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3 weeks ago

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7 November 2025

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After facing a backlash from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipperary players, Munster GAA have postponed their plan to keep Cork and Kerry separate in the 2026 Munster Football Championship.

The new seeding system – which gives the two highest ranked Munster teams in the National League byes to separate semi-finals – will now come into play in 2027, twelve months later than initially planned.

This will give Clare and Limerick a chance to earn promotion to Division 2 of the league, potentially overtaking Cork if the Rebels were to get relegated to Division 3.

Despite traditionally being the two main contenders for Munster football honours, Kerry and Cork haven’t met in a provincial decider since 2021. The Kingdom have won each of the finals since then (one versus Limerick and three versus Clare) by an average margin of 15.75 points.

More high-profile Kerry v Cork finals might be desirable for fans of those teams, businesses in Killarney and Cork, and neutrals alike but Munster GAA’s plans to effectively keep the great rivals on opposite sides of the draw understandably drew criticism from the other participating counties. A statement by the GPA confirmed that players from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipp had met via Zoom to discuss the matter. They were said to be “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision.

The 12-month delay will at least give two of those disaffected teams an opportunity to benefit from the new seeding process.

The draw for the 2026 Munster Football Championship will take place on November 27 under the old rules. As 2025 finalists, Kerry and Clare will get byes to the last four (but they will not necessarily be kept apart).

Nine members of Kerry’s squad are up for All-Stars at tonight’s awards ceremony in Dublin with Joe O’Connor and David Clifford also in contention for the prestigious Footballer of the Year award.

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