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Cronin’s motivation levels at ‘all-time high’ ahead of first home fight in three years

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4 years ago

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Kerry boxer Kevin Cronin. Photo: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile.

by Adam Moynihan

“Some good news, thank God. It’s about time, isn’t it?”

You can hear the relief in Kevin Cronin’s voice. It’s a good job he’s a fighter because the Milltown native has really had to scrap through the pandemic. Fights called off. Opponents backing out last-minute. Expensive foreign bouts just to keep the show on the road.

Now, three years on from his first professional fight on Irish soil, the Kingdom Warrior is preparing for his second. On April 2, he will try to improve upon his impressive professional record of 4-0 when he appears on ‘The Beginning’ card in Cork. In a word, Cronin is buzzing.

“I’m excited to get back fighting on Irish soil and also delighted to get an eight-rounder. It will be an Irish title eliminator as well so I’m buzzing for that,” the 25-year-old told the Killarney Advertiser.

“Having a home crowd will probably take bit of getting used to. I haven’t even fought in front of a crowd for three years - it has all been behind closed doors. It’s going to be a nice buzz, and it’s even nicer that it’s in Cork rather than Dublin or Belfast or anywhere else. It’s nice and close to home.”

WILL

Going three full years without properly experiencing the thrill of competitive action would test the resolve of any athlete. Cronin accepts that it was a trying time for him, but he never lost the will to carry on.

“It has been tough. Lockdown has everything to do with it. There have been no fights. I’ve had to travel to get fights. It has been costing a fortune. But in terms of motivation, I obviously do have the motivation if I was able to get through what we’ve been put through. Only the tough last through that. There has been a lot of people retiring just because it has been costing too much, and they weren’t getting the fights.

“But for me, the motivation has always been good. I always knew that things would come back to this stage. I got myself eligible for titles during lockdown and here I am, one fight away from fighting 10 rounds for an Irish title. I would be the first to ever do it from this part of the country, and the first to ever win it.

“To be honest with you, seeing that opportunity in front of me, motivation is at an all-time high.”

The Kerryman’s next appearance is made all the more intriguing by the revelation that he will be dropping down a weight division, from light heavyweight to super middleweight. The decision is a tactical one. 

“I wanted to try super middleweight at some stage anyway but there’s a title fight at super middleweight on the card in Cork so I’m chasing down the winner. The winner of that fight will be fighting for the Irish title and I want to be there, standing in front of them.

“I’m going to go down and get myself eligible at 168 pounds, and take the strap off them.”

Cronin’s opponent on April 2 will be revealed in the coming weeks but, having experienced the uncertainty caused by late card changes in the past, he is determined to not let their identity affect his preparations.

“I have to prepare for whatever opponent comes my way. We don’t know who it’s going to be yet and I don’t care really. I’m not asking questions about opponents anymore because I’ve seen the way they pull out.

“The camp kicked off this week so I was sparring last night and I’ll be back up to Dublin for more sparring tomorrow, and then Cork on Saturday for more sparring. So it’s all picking up from here on out. It’s going to be a heavy seven or eight weeks ahead of me.”

Interest in the event is expected to be high. Cronin has already sold his batch of tickets, although he has been assured that more are on the way. The venue is set to be changed from Glen Rovers GAA grounds so that’s another variable to potentially cause a distraction. But the big hitter from Mid Kerry is unbothered. He has waited too long for this moment.

“I have enough on my plate, training for an eight-rounder. It’s going to be the biggest fight of my career. There’s no doubt about it.”

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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2 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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2 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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