In pictures: 'Rumble In The Hills' proves a knockout hit in Letterkenny

Click on the arrows to go through Declan Doherty's photos

Fans queue to get into the Aura Leisure Complex for Rumble In The Hills. Photos: Declan Doherty

Fight fans flocked to Donegal on Saturday night as professional boxing made a stunning return to the county.

After an absence of 13 years, Donegal’s world middleweight title contender Jason Quigley helped to bring a pro show to his native county.

Elite Sports Promotions and Sheer Sports joined forces for a card that gripped a huge crowd at the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny.

Dungiven man Paul McCloskey, who won the EBU super lightweight title the last time a show was staged in Donegal - also at the aura - was at ringside on Saturday night.

Former European lightweight champion and 1972 Olympian Charlie Nash and Banagher middleweight Eamonn O’Kane, a Commonwealth Gold medalist and Irish professional middleweight titlist were in town to see Joe Ward’s long-awaited Irish homecoming.

Moate southpaw Ward - with former two-weight world champion Joey Gamache alongside Jimmy Payne in his corner - stopped Prince Oko Narty at the end of the second round of their light heavyweight clash in the headline act of the night while Belfast’s exciting James McGivern - now working with former three-weight world champion Ricky Burns - defeated Josh Sandford to win the BUI Celtic lightweight title.

Letterkenny’s Cathal McMonagle, a former five-time Irish super-heavyweight champion who boxed with the Holy Trinity BC in Belfast and a former team of Ward’s from the Irish amateurs, was among a big audience as big-time boxing returned to his native town.

Former Irish amateur star turned EBU super featherweight title holder Eric Donovan was on analysis for the stream of the fight while former Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Robert Diaz - who has been a close ally to Quigley since he joined the pro ranks in 2014 - jetted in to Ireland for the event.

WBC rep Ricky Pow was another who joined a who’s who of the boxing world who packed into the Aura for a gripping night of action.

County Donegal Boxing Board President Peter O’Donnell led a large crowd from the local boxing fraternity, including recently-crowned Irish Elite bantamweight champion Danny Duffy, who were in attendance alongside Letterkenny-based Councillor Ciaran Brogan.