Fight night this Saturday

Saturday night is set to be fight night for Athlone's Rob Ross as his first bid for boxing glory will air as part of RTE's new reality series 'Celebrity Lord of the Ring'. The Coosan native will be up against Irish Mirror showbiz journalist Paul Martin for his inaugural boxing joust, just one of two contests being broadcast on the programme this Saturday on RTE 1 at 9.30pm. If the boxing novice triumphs on the night, which also happens to be his 30th birthday, Ross will progress to the semi-finals of the competition next Thursday and be in line to win the Celebrity Lords of the Ring championship belt, plus the chance to fight on the undercard of World Champion Bernard Dunne's next big fight in Dublin. The show, presented by Lucy Kennedy and boxing legend Barry McGuigan follows ten celebrities as they as they prepare physically and mentally for the challenge of their lives, all in the name of charity. Ex-footballer Lee Sharpe, comedian Alan Shortt, Fair City star MacLean Burke, TV presenter John McGuire, Dragon's Den entrepreneur Sean Gallagher, journalist Joe O'Shea, former GAA star Jack Sheedy, journalist Paul Martin and UK Apprentice star Ben Clarke are the other high profile competitors taking in the intense four-part series. Over the last week the Athlone man has been put through the rigours of an intensive bootcamp with boxing and fitness coaches, an experience he said was not as daunting as he expected because his fitness levels have improved since training first began. "It's been a great experience so far. 99.9% of the lads are complete gentlemen," Rob said, likening the experience to a men's bonding session in the wild, without thankfully too many 5am starts. Of his prospects on Saturday for his very first boxing bout, the presenter is fairly optimistic. "If I box to my potential, I really could beat anybody but I'm doing this for the very first time so it's hard to gauge how it will go with the nerves and the crowd," Rob enthused. "Paul is a stone heavier than me and a couple of inches taller so he has a good reach but I'll try and get in close. He is one of stronger competitors for the first fight," he explained, adding that his boxing skills have improved out of sight since the launch of the show but the real test will be in the ring. However, sources on the show have intimated that Ross's quick grasp of the boxing skills and his prime fitness have already impressed Barry McGuigan, surely a good sign for his progress in the competition. Over €100,000 will go directly to the ten charities chosen by the participants, aided by Sona Vitamins sponsorship of the programme so the contestants will have an extra incentive to impress in the ring: the longer they stay in the competition, the more money their charity will receive. The Athlone man's chosen charity is Temple Street Children's Hospital. "It'a challenge to go in to the boxing ring and face your fear, and raising money is a bonus. I'd love to win it," Rob Ross concluded. All the boxing bouts will be overseen by professional referees and judged by a panel of well known guest judges from the boxing world. The judges will be awarding points after each round with the emphasis being placed on style, movement and defence along with other essential boxing skills which the contestants have been taught during training. The one-hour shows will be broadcast on RTE 1 this Saturday, August 15, Tuesday, August 18, Wednesday, August 19 and Saturday 22 at 9.30pm each night.