THE boxing prowess of our premier fighters was confirmed at the weekend after a quartet of victories in the ring.

In the biggest encounter Peter McDonagh, who trains at the Soul Gym in Crayford, beat Michael Gomez in Dublin, Ireland, to take the Irish lightweight title.

The unfancied McDonagh enlisted mind-guru Uri Geller to help with his mental preparation and the partnership paid dividends as the referee stopped the fight in round five of 12. However, the victory was tainted with claims of unsportsmanlike behaviour.

McDonagh's trainer George Wadman said: "We knew Gomez had been a real warrior for years and years. He's held the WBU title, the British title and WBO title.

"But we knew he really only had four rounds in him and our plan was to soak up that pressure and stay with him.

"I think Peter lost the first two rounds but he started to come into it in the third and maybe won it but he definitely won the fourth."

He added: "In round five Gomez started backing Peter up against the ropes and Peter started hitting him with jabs and right-hands.

"Then Peter blocked a left hook and came back with one of his own into Gomez's body. With that Gomez winced, turned and walked away and Peter, who did not know what to do really, hit him on the back of the head.

"Gomez carried on walking away and the referee did nothing so Peter hit him again in the back of the head. This time Gomez turned round and Peter caught him with a right hander and put him over. The referee then stopped the fight."

Gomez's camp said McDonagh should not have hit him round the back of the head and accused the Irish-born fighter of cheating.

Wadman said: "Peter won the bout fair and square, to say he cheated is a disgrace.

"We have the greatest respect for Gomez as he is a quality fighter but this was Peter's win."

The partnership with Uri Geller began when Peter met him on a flight to Dublin for a pre-fight press conference where they struck up a friendship.

Peter invited Uri to the Soul Gym where they worked on his mental preparation.

Wadman said: "It is nothing to do with bending spoons, instead it is about being mentally positive and strong.

"Whatever Uri did with Peter worked and he has been a tremendous asset to him."

Leo O'Reilly, from the same gym as McDonagh, won a lightweight bout on points against Joe Honney from Basingstoke at the Maloney Fight Show at Dagenham's Goresbrook Leisure Centre.

Two fighters from Frank Maloney's Fight Factory in Lewisham made it a clean sweep starting with Gary Woolcombe, from Welling, knocking out Lee Murtagh from Leeds.

Woolcombe said: "I knocked him out in the fourth round but up until then I felt really lethargic and could not get my shots off.

"But you cannot have a good day in the office every day and I would have got better as the match went on.

"I won the first, the second was close and I nicked the third.

"Then I got him with a left hook and it was all over."

Woolcombe is now hoping for a bash at a British title fight within two months.

Gym partner Sam Webb beat Alexei Zhuk from Belarus on points despite suffering a nasty cut following a clash of heads.

The Chislehurst boxer now has three wins out of three fights.