Flyweight to Heavyweight – Popular Irish Journeyman Makes History
A small bit of Irish history was made in Germany over the weekend, as veteran away fighter Marty Kayes contested a heavyweight fight.
The Downpatrick native became the first Irish fighter in over 100 years to make the journey from flyweight to the top of the weight ladder.
The 48-year-old went the four round distance with England’s Mike Hadley in Sinzheim, Baden-Baden on Saturday night.
The contest that went the way of Hadley was a heavyweight one, meaning Kayes, whose first career win came in a famous Battle of Journeymen against Phil Townley in 2015, has fought as low as flyweight and as high as heavy across a long and interesting career.
Kayes, who at 5’5′ may also be the smallest heavyweight of all time, started competing in 2001 as a flyweight and has populated away corners all around the world since. The ever accomadating veteran pitted stopped at various weights over the years before finally making the journey from 51kgs to 92kg plus last weekend.
The pint-sized operator returned to sanctioned boxing with a bang in 2022 when he stopped Tj Lokomotiva in Plzen in the Czech Republic to claim only his second career win.
One of the sport’s true characters he had been on the semi-pro and BIBA circuit but now has a Czech license and mans away corners on a regular basis. Despite being just two years shy of 50 Kayes is still going and contesting up at heavyweight. Before his move away from more recognized boxing, Kayes had fought the likes of Derry Matthews, Lee Haskins and Ryan Burnett.
