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While drama was unfolding for Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas, there was a night of high tension in the ring for one of Northern Ireland’s favourite kickboxers. Ian Young, the football star turned ring wizard, was in Switzerland at the weekend to take part in a blue riband amateur event.

The European WKN super welterweight champ was hoping to scale the slopes of victory at the Alpine promotion in Martigny. However a bizarre series of events during his bout saw Young floored in the first by two illegal knee-kicks, then pulled from the fight by his corner such was their fury at the knee-kicks being allowed, then Ko’ed in the final round, but having the result voided by the WKN rep in attendance, so keen were they not to be made a laughing stock over a farcical cock-up. Confused? Young’s coach Billy Murray tries to illuminate a complicated situation. “It was one of the most bizarre things I’ve seen,” he said. “For a start, this was not supposed to be a fight that involved knee-kicks – that is a totally different kind of kickboxing and not the full contact sort that Ian Young fights within. “When his French opponent fairly early on delivered three vicious knee kicks the ref should have taken very stern line. Instead, he forced Ian to take a standing count. This was ridiculous and I told the promoter and the judges the fight was off. It was a ridiculous situation. But it was one of the top of the bill bouts that tht promoter insisted Ian’s opponent wouldn’t use knees again. I took the decision to let him carry-on – Ian was caught with a bone crushing right hand at the end of the final round but there was a bigger fight looming. At the end, despite the result, the WKN rep for Switzerland, Carl Emery, jumped in the ring and voided the whole thing anyway. It was really odd. But we’ll carry on and Ian will be ready the next time.”

There was better news for two of Young’s ProKick team-mates. ProKick’s teenage titan Mark Bird stormed to victory in his international clash which saw him take fighter of the night at the packed venue. Killinchy’s ‘Punisher’ Barrie Oliver remains unbeaten in his seven outings as a kickboxer as he scored a draw amongst the mountain peaks. Oliver will now be looking for an Irish title shot early next year. "They are good young fighters with a bright future," said Murray. "Some attention may have been focused on Vegas and with Amir Khan, also on the home front with John Duddy at the Kings Hall but within kickboxing this was the only show that mattered last weekend and Northern Irish kickboxing can again hold its head up high." But it’s a show that will be remembered for some curious last minute rule changes and nonsense decisions.

Accompanying the Prokick team was Jumping Joe Lindsay, a BBC presenter who has elevated from a kickboxing Orange belt to MC and now an international ‘Bucket Boy’ and trainee ringside photographer. “I think I was almost as nervous as the fighters because it was the first time since I joined the Prokick family that I got a chance to be there at ringside.” said the presenter. “It was amazing backstage in the dressing room as the boys warmed up and Billy Murray got them psyched and in the right mind for the ring. I don’t think any of them were prepared for my cack handed attempt at being a water boy. And my even more cack handed attempts a photography, Murray gave me more of a hard time than he did the fighters but what an experience! Side of the ring, watching Billy guide the fighters, advise them in the corner was unbelievably exciting!” For more on kickboxing, cheak back here on www.prokick.com

Special thanks to the Swiss promoters for their hospitality and well done on a smashing event.

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