Kevin Blake is a freelance racing journalist with the Racing Post and Irish Field. 10 days before Christmas he took part in a charity boxing match at the Hillview Sports Club in Clonmel. According to his foreword to the fight on his mycharity.ie page Kevin had never stepped into the ring before but was taking the fight very seriously.
He did not show much charity in his fight with Steven Daly though, knocking out his opponent with one clean punch to the jaw only 40 seconds into the first round.
Not only was he a success in the ring, he also managed to raise an admirable €1,690 for the Irish Cancer Society.
From Kevin Blake's mycharity.ie page:
Long story short, I've signed up to fight in a charity boxing event in the Hillview Sports Club in Clonmel on December 15th to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society.
I don't need to say anything about cancer, most of us have been affected by it either directly or indirectly and the Irish Cancer Society does brilliant work, as you can read about below.
On a personal note, this is the first time I have ever put my hand out on behalf of a charity and given that things are tight for a lot of people, I didn't want to come out looking for donations without it being justified by me doing something that was a serious personal challenge. This will be the first time I have fought in a ring (my few attempts at it on the rugby field didn't always end well!) and I haven't been involved in serious sport for quite a few years, so this will be a fair physical test. However, trust me when I say that I am taking training very seriously and intend on turning up on the night in the best shape I've ever been in so I can put on a good show for those that have supported me on here and those that pay to watch the fights on the night.
Kevin also sent out several tweets about the fight and thankfully confirmed that he opponent was OK despite suffering a concussion.
Fight day! Slept like a baby, can't wait to get in there. Please sponsor me, it all goes to the Irish Cancer Society. mycharity.ie/event/kevinbla…
— Kevin Blake (@kevinblake2011) December 15, 2012
You might not believe me, but I won by one-punch KO after about 40 seconds! Buzzing! Video proof will be forthcoming!
— Kevin Blake (@kevinblake2011) December 15, 2012
By the way, Stephan was OK. Bit of a concussion, but he was in good form afterwards.
— Kevin Blake (@kevinblake2011) December 16, 2012
