LIVE UPDATES – JB Promotions ‘Proving Ground’ Show

JB Promotion’s kick off their 2026 campaign tonight with their ‘Proving Ground’ show in the new surroundings of The Pavilion Building at Leopardtown Racecourse, marking the first event of its kind to take place at the venue.

The card carries a theme of momentum and fresh starts, with a number of fighters returning from layoffs, recent setbacks and rebuilding periods, all of which are no doubt looking to push their records forward early in the year.

Senan Kelly tops the bill against a gritty Argtenian in Emiliano Araujo, as the Kildare-man aims to rediscover rhythm following his first professional loss to Ben Marksby in the 3Arena last September, while Offaly’s Paul Loonam looks to continue his steady progression in the co-main event by adding another win to his unbeaten record, pushing himself into title conversations later in the year.

Further down the card, Bayo Alabi looks to make a statement in a 6-rounder as he faces a seasoned campaigner in Jose Perez, while Cain Lewis begins a new chapter in his professional career, making his first outing since signing with JB Promotions earlier this year.

Elsewhere, Oisin Treacy returns to the ring after a 10-month absence with a tough test as he faces a man synonomous with recent upsets in Jordan Grannum, while Sarah Murphy looks to build on her October debut and push to 2-0. The card also features what feels like a ‘second debut’ for Cian Doyle, who returns to action after a near 4 year layoff, having last fought in June of 2022.

Irish-Boxing.com are ringside and will be providing live updates from the event below.

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MAIN EVENT: Senan Kelly v Emiliano Leonal Araujo

Senan Kelly certainly stamped his authority on the fight from early on, as he sent Araujo scrambling after a matter of seconds in the first round thanks to a perfectly timed overhand right.

Throughout the first two rounds Leixlip man found a home for counter straight right anytime his adversary tried to land his jab, and followed up with a heavy combination of hooks on multiple occasions across the rounds. By the end of the second, he looked to be in the driving seat thanks to sharp counters and constant pressure against the ropes.

The tide looked to turn slightly in the third, as a cut appeared above Kelly’s right eye early in the round, giving Araujo a target for a series of left hooks to the area, with Kelly recovering well and returning his attention to Araujo’s midsection.

Massive performance from Kelly in the fourth and fifth rounds, opening up the fourth with a thudding uppercut to just under Araujo’s ribs. Sensing that Araujo was hurt, Kelly kept the foot on the gas with pressure, power and pace as he unrelentingly bombarded Araujo with hooks and uppercuts to the body and head throughout the rounds.

Kelly’s earlier investment to the body really began to take its toll in the later stages of the fight as Araujo’s hands began to drop opening up strikes to his head, which the Irishman capitalised on. In the penultimate round, each hook to the body from Kelly digging deeper and producing a bigger wince from Araujo, who has the look of a visibly hurt fighter.

After 6 rounds, Senan Kelly gets back to winning ways thanks to a 59-55 points decision.

CO MAIN EVENT: Paul Loonam v Darwing Martinez

Composed start from Loonam as he took hold of the centre of the ring right from the off, using sharp footwork to cut off any angle of which Martinez could circle out through. Loonam maintained that control thanks to a snappy jab up until the midpoint of the round, where Martinez kept his head low, taking to the centre of the ring, in an effort to stalk the Offaly man down.

The success of Loonam’s jab and what followed behind it, started to become increasingly more apparent in the second and third round, as Martinez’ rushing approach was constantly met with the strike, resulting in visible redness and blood beginning to drip from the nose of Martinez.

The fight for the centre of the ring however, is still quite a back and forth affair, with Loonam having considerable success from the outside utilising sharp footwork and strike selection.

Through the fourth and fifth, Martinez’ opted for an uptake in aggression, digging hooks into the ribs of Loonam, who stoically circled out and got back to work himself. Once again, “The Boxer” re-established his jab, keeping the heavy hitting South American at his own range, landing a beautiful one-two down the pipe in the fifth round.

In the sixth and final round, following a swing and a miss from Loonam, Martinez’ jested and looked out over ropes into the crowd, before showcasing his Ali Shuffle, the pair got back to action with Martinez again trying to go through Loonam with shots to the body. Unfazed, Loonam looked to prove his superiority by pushing Martinez on the backfoot himself, which visibly frustrated the Nicaraguan.

With the judges scorecards in, Paul Loonam emerges victorious via 60-54 decision.

Oisin Treacy v Jordan Grannum

Slow and steady start from Treacy in the first, keeping Grannum to the outside through the early stages of the round. Using his height and reach advantage effectively, Treacy utilised his jab and a bladed stance to maintain range with the 198-fight veteran. Treacy’s biggest strike of the round came by way of a rear hand uppercut which split Grannum’s guard as the Londoner tried close the distance, with Grannum having considerable success of his own with his jab.

A similarly composed second and third round from Treacy, as the Dubliner mixed up his strikes a bit more, touching Grannum with a range-finding jab to set up sharp straight backhands and uppercuts when Grannum tried to close the distance before retreating to the outside.

A bit of a ‘nip and tuck’ affair midway through the third as Grannum tried to get on the front foot and establish his own jab, with Treacy recouping and regaining control of the ring, pushing Grannum onto the ropes and landing a clean one-two down the pipe to conclude the round.

The fourth appeared to be closest contest for the majority of the round, with the pair going blow for blow in the centre of the ring before splitting. Following the split, Treacy looked to pile of the pressure, with Grannum evading the majority of the strikes. Treacy looked to push the pace just near the end, and the pressure paid off, knocking Grannum down following a three punch combo.

With the judges scorecards finalised, Treacy emerges the victor via 40-35 points decision.

Sarah Murphy v Katherine Quintana

Blistering start from Sarah Murphy in the first, almost sprinting across the ring to meet Quintana piling on relentless pressure throughout the entirety of the first round, working her jab from the outside, going low to the body and then over the top with hooks and uppercuts to finish her combinations on multiple occasions.

A bit more of a tentative start to the second in comparison to the first, working her jab a bit more to open up the body and the head, still maintaining relentless pressure nonetheless, with every big strike and combo earning her massive support from the crowd here in Leopardstown.

Throughout the third and fourth, Murphy really looks like she’s gotten into her groove, keeping her hands low and bouncing on her toes with the look of a fighter who feels their opponent has no answer for their pressure. Midway through the third, Murphy had probably her most dominant phase of the fight as she kept Quintana in the corner for quite some time, ripping to the body with unrelenting pace and aggressive intent, emerging a 40-36 winner.

Cain Lewis v Yahir Alexander Solorio Morales

Definitely a feeling out process in the first three minutes, with both combatants trading jabs to test the waters whilst maintaining an in and out approach, with Lewis making attempts to get inside and rip to the body midway through the first.

Through the second and third Lewis began to up his activity levels, mixing up his strikes and combining it with quick footwork, notably landing a clean left hook near the conclusion of the second. Credit where due to Morales, epitomising the fighting spirit expected from a Mexican boxer, keeping in Lewis’ face despite visible redness appearing above his right eye as a result of clean hooks from Lewis.

More pressure from Morales in the fourth and fifth, constantly trying to keep Lewis’ back to the ropes, who kept himself busy with a series of jabs, uppercuts and straight right hands to break the guard of the Mexican, adding to the redness on the left side of his face, along with a notable combination of hooks to the body midway through the fifth.

Bouncing around in the sixth and final round, Lewis got to work once more with the jab followed by an inch perfect uppercut. Having had early success with the combo, Lewis went back to the well once more, causing blood to pour from the mouth and nose of Morales.

Noticing his own blood dripping on the canvas, Morales beckoned Lewis forward to engaged, with his earlier wish being answered in the final few seconds of the round as the pair traded a few final blows, with Lewis emerging victorious via a 60-54 decision win.

Bayo Alabi v Jose Manuel Perez

Slow and methodical start to the first from Bayo Alabi, as he stalked his opponent while assessing his options. Early patience proved to be decisive as Perez loaded up and over extended a handful of times in the opening round, with Alabi capitalising on the openings, countering with a sumptuous lead hook to the body about a minute in which Perez visibly felt. The southpaws speed and timing seems to be a decisive factor early on, countering with heavy hooks and uppercuts to Perez’ head when he over extends.

Switching up his stance and style throughout the second, Alabi seamlessly transitioned between southpaw and orthodox throughout the round, again getting the better of Perez both defensively and offensively, and has the look of a fighter in a state of flow, briefly guarding up in a ‘Philly shell’ against the ropes, before landing a check lead hook and circling to the outside.

Perhaps a bit of a ’round off’ for Alabi in the third from an offensive point of view, opting to circle the perimeter of the ring for the duration of the round, inevitably evading the majority of strikes that came his way, which perhaps frustrated Perez, who certainly has the look of a fighter who wants to engage in a scrap. A couple of clean hooks from Alabi inside the clinch earned a roar from the crowd, along with a “COME ON” from his opponent.

With a similar approach to the fourth round as he did in the third, Alabi again comfortably coasted his way through the round, popping his jab in Perez’ face to keep him at range, with his most significant success in the round coming by way of a sharp ‘one-two’ from a southpaw stance.

Ramping up his pace in the fifth, the boy they call ‘Bayo’ got to work from early with intent, landing heavy hooks to Perez’ body and head, giving the South American a quick nod of the head as if to say ‘I know they hurt’. Strong finish to the fifth from Alabi, as he posted up on his jab before unleashing combination strikes for the last 10 seconds of the round.

Returning to his defensive approach once more, Alabi had the look of a fighter who clearly knew he was comfortably ahead on the cards and opted not to engage in exchanges with what was still a very live opponent in Perez. Alabi now moves to 6-0 following a 60-54 win.

Cian Doyle v Stefan Nicolae

Taking to the centre of the ring right from the off, Doyle established his jab well, keeping Nicolae to the perimeter of the ring before unleashing a barrage of hooks to the midsection of the Romanian early in the first. Clearly eager to engage after a length spell out of the ring, the pair briefly tangled midway through the round, with Doyle getting the better of the exchanges from the inside, finishing the round with a clean right hand with seconds to go.

Doyle got to work with persistence again in the second with another onslaught of hooks to the head of Nicolae forcing him to retreat to the ropes, the pair briefly clinched with Doyle landing multiple uppercuts from the inside, provoking a massive reaction from the crowd, however he didn’t emerge unscathed and appears to be cut on the bridge of his nose. Midway throw the round, the Dubliner readdressed his pace, returning to boxing from the outside, before closing out the round with a strong finish of combination strikes to the body.

Definitely an approach of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ from team Doyle in the third, starting the round with precise strikes to Nicolae’s midsection. Midway through the round, the referee called for a brief intervention to assess the damage on Doyle’s nose, and perhaps broke his momentum slightly as Nicolae landed his best shot of the fight with a clean left hook following the break, causing Doyle to stumble. Nevertheless, Doyle finished strong with another assault to Nicolae’s torso.

In the fourth and final round, Doyle continued in the same vain, if not upping the pace for the last three minutes, with Nicolae breathing heavy and visibly feeling the pace and persistent strikes to the body, the Dubliner cruised to a 40-36 decision win, his first since April of 2022.