Facing a more experienced foe, Declan Friel put up a spirited fight before succumbing on points to Januel Cabrera in a 154-pound MSG Boxing Ring Masters novice class bout at the Trinity Club in Manhattan last Friday. There were no knockdowns in the three-rounder.
Friel, a 31-year-old Donegal transplant representing Irish-owned Bua Boxing Club of Astoria, Queens, was making his debut in the Ring Masters. He’d received a bye to the Round of 16 before running into Cabrera of the John’s Gym in the Bronx. It was just Friel’s second amateur fight after joining Bua Boxing in March last year to lose weight.
“Declan had no luck,” said Donal Ward, Bua Boxing owner and Friel’s trainer. “He tried hard, but the guy he fought was definitely more experienced, and he was actually very good for a novice.”
The novice class is for fighters with 10 or less bouts on their ledger.
“Declan’s first two fights have been [against] two tough [guys] who were that bit more experienced. We kind of knew that going in that it might be a bit soon, but he learned a lot from it. So, we're gonna take the positives from it and get back to work,” Ward added.
Friel concurred, saying Cabrera, who reportedly had seven bouts going into their scrap, was the better fighter and more experienced.
“I could have done a lot more. I should have been more aggressive and threw a lot more but it is what it is, you know. Moving forward this year [I’ll] get another four or five fights under my belt and we'll go for it again next year. So that's kind of the game plan.
“I wasn’t overly happy with the outcome, but I was happy enough with the performance.”
He’s determined to participate in the Ring Masters next year and continue the recent success of Irish fighters in the tournament. Last year, Friel’s Bua stablemate Timmy Egan won the 165-pound novice title at Madison Square Garden. Sean O’Bradaigh won it in 2023 while Hugh McNulty was the losing finalist in the same weight division in 2024.
Like Egan, who’s competing in this year’s 165-pound open division and has advanced to the semi-finals, Friel is a late comer to boxing. He’s a life-long fight fan who counts among his favorite fighters the great Muhammad Ali, Prince Naseem, and Welsh legend Joe Calzaghe. Among the Irish, Limerick product Andy Lee and Katie Taylor – arguably the greatest female boxer in world history -- are his heroes. And like Egan again, he’s an erstwhile Gaelic footballer for the O’Donovan Rossa club who’s put that athletic career on hold while he pursues honors in the ring.
EGAN WAIT
Having fought his way to the 165-pound Open semis, Egan was by press time waiting to find out when and where he’ll meet Gaetano Di Chiara for a place in the Ring Masters middleweight final. Egan defeated Fabian Cordero in the quarterfinals at the Sweatbox Gym in Brooklyn two weeks ago.
