‘Killer Cahill’ promising excitement ahead of pro debut

A tree surgeon by day, James Cahill is used to chopping down all that stands in front of him.

The hard-working Wicklow youngster has become a professional boxer, and will make his debut next month in Dublin. The 19 year old will fight for the first time on Saturday September 9th on the ‘Celtic Clash 3: Building Champions’ card at the National Stadium. The show is headlined by a BUI Celtic featherweight title fight between former amateur star and RTÉ pundit Eric Donovan and Welsh champion Dai Davies, but there is a lot of anticipation for the debut of the Bray boxer on the undercard.

An aggressive welterweight with a knockout punch, Cahill is being tipped by his management team at Boxing Ireland Promotions as one to watch

Deep into his first pro camp at St Teresa’s Boxing Club in Bray under Mark Buckley, Cahill is loving pro life and described how “it’s going deadly. Work is flying, fitness is up, power is up. Mark has a good aul programme going. I train in the evenings, straight after work. I’m feeling very fit and strong, training’s a lot harder than in the amateurs.”

While he is yet to throw a pro punch, Cahill has already been marked out as a fighter that is well suited to the rigours of professional boxing. The teenager believes he adapting quickly and stated that “I’m adjusting to the pro game very well. I’m working a lot on the power and just trying to switch the style up. Amateur is a lot different to the pros. If you’re going to rely on power shots, you’re not going to get much, it’s a bit of everything.”

Cahill is teammates with flyweight Regan Buckley, who also appears on the ‘Celtic Clash 3’ card in one of the show’s main fights – a six-round grudge match with Tallaght’s Carl McDonald. The pair work off each other, and ‘Killer Cahill’ notes how “training beside Regan is definitely a help – he’s always driving me on and we’re always helping each other out well.”

With just under four weeks to go until fight night, Cahill can feel the buzz building ahead of his pro bow, and he is promising to entertain his large following, adding that “you can expect a good exciting fight. The support from the community is super, I’m after getting some sponsors from around the community and there will definitely be a massive crowd.”

Headlined by the Donovan-Davies title fight, the ‘Celtic Clash 3: Building Champions’ card also features Stephen McAfee, Martin Quinn, Regan Buckley, Colin O’Donovan, Chris Mullally, Michael Gallagher, Niall O’Connor, Gerard Whitehouse, Bernard Roe, John Joyce, and Carl McDonald.

Tickets for the show cost €30 (Balcony), €40 (Gallery), €60 (Ringside), €100 (VIP Premium), and €15 (Under-15s gallery – must be bought alongside an adult ticket) and are available to buy from Cahill or online at Ticketmaster.ie.

Photo Credit: Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)