Limerick’s Tyrone Cronin O’Brien crowned WKA Irish K1 Champion

WKA Irish K1 Champion – Limerick kickboxer Tyrone Cronin O’Brien pictured above (centre) was crowned WKA Irish K1 Champion in Wexford.

The kickboxer began competing at the age of 17 and has prevailed in the martial arts scene ever since

By I Love Limerick correspondent Ava O’Donoghue

Limerick kickboxer Tyrone Cronin O’Brien was crowned WKA Irish K1 Champion on Saturday, May 14 after an incredible fight in Wexford.

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Tyrone began competing in kickboxing at 17 years old at the Learning Hub’s martial arts class, under the guidance of his dad Paul O’Brien.

Since then, Tyrone has been triumphant throughout his kickboxing career, already holding the Lightweight K1, Lightweight IKF International Rules and even winning a gold medal from the Unified World Kickboxing Championship, which was held in Italy.

The WKA tournament was held in the Clayton Whytes Hotel in Wexford, where Tyrone was invited to partake in a huge fight night consisting of 18 matchups called ‘Bad Intentions 5’.

Tyrone competed in a four-man 63.5kgs K1 tournament alongside two of Ireland’s top contenders and Wexford’s very own Jack Browne, who was defending the title belt.

Stakes were high as the winner would have the opportunity to compete in the Emerge Fight Series and possibly gain a professional contract.

In his first bout of the evening, Tyrone had a very tough and durable opponent, but prevailed and moved on to the next, who he had witnessed take a stoppage victory in the semi-final within just one minute.

The WKA Irish K1 final was a difficult clash between two of Ireland’s finest martial artists with both showcasing their dedication and skill.

In the second round, Tyrone slowed his opponent significantly, giving him a standing count as the result of a timed body shot, but his opponent refused to give in.

By the third round, Tyrone had figured out his opponent’s timing and caught him with a cracking overhand right that put his opponent down once again.

The referee deemed Tyrone’s opponent was in no condition to continue and waved off the contest, crowning Tyrone the WKA Irish K1 Champion, a huge achievement for the Limerick kickboxer.

“First and foremost, thank you to my dad and coach Paul O’Brien,” said Tyrone as he received the belt. “Without you, none of this would be possible.”

“It was a great night and a fantastic show, I had a tough task ahead of me, but these are the moments I work hard for. Two fights in one night, one dominant win and one KO win,” he added.

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