Owens shines as Donegal hosts Rumble In The Hills 3

Rhys Owens after his victory in Letterkenny | .

placeholder image — Rhys Owens after his victory in Letterkenny | .

Rhys ‘Lights Out’ Owens maintained his unbeaten professional record with a points victory over Peru’s Cesar Ignacio Paredes at Rumble In The Hills 3 in Letterkenny on Saturday night.

Despite Storm Boelo bringing difficult conditions to Donegal, there was plenty of action inside the Aura Leisure Complex, where the boxing show was promoted by Donegal’s former world middleweight title challenger Jason Quigley and Sheer Sports Promotions.

Enniskillen man Owens improved his record to five wins from five professional contests, including one knockout, after coming through his first eight-round bout.

The former Irish Elite champion returned to the venue where he made his professional debut last October, stopping Stefan Nicolae in the third round.

Owens took control during the fourth round against Paredes and followed up with a strong body-and-head combination in the fifth. He continued to find success with his work to the body against the awkward southpaw, although the Peruvian proved durable enough to see the final bell.

Referee Padraig O'Reachtagain scored the contest 80-72 in Owens' favour. The victory could now open the door to domestic title opportunities for the talented super-featherweight and lightweight.

Aodhan Byrne also impressed, recording a shutout points victory over Benito Sanchez Garcia in just his third professional contest.

The Kildare native, who has strong family connections to Ballybofey, stepped up to six rounds and showed little difficulty handling the increased distance.

Garcia arrived with experience of going six rounds, having previously faced Gary Cullen in March, but Byrne gradually established his authority. He grew into the contest over the opening two rounds before producing his best work in the third.

The support for Byrne grew as he continued to attack, particularly during the fourth round, when he landed a series of heavy shots on Garcia in the red corner.

A well-timed left hand in the fifth added to his impressive display. Garcia remained competitive to the finish, but Byrne was awarded the contest 60-54 by referee David Irving.

Byrne's mother, Sinead, is from Carrickmagrath in Ballybofey and is the daughter of Tommy and Joy Long, giving the fighter a strong connection to the local crowd.

Mayo's Eoghan Lavin made short work of his contest with Angel Petkov Emilov, stopping his opponent just 55 seconds into the second round.

Lavin, who now has nine professional victories, landed a right cross that sent Emilov to the canvas for the fifth stoppage win of his career. He is scheduled to feature on the Cacace-Ball card in Belfast on December 19, with former WBA world lightweight champion Anthony Crolla in his corner.

Derry welterweight Simon Clarke also remained unbeaten, taking a 40-36 points decision against Argentina's Ezequiel Gregores.

Trained by Dan Boyle, Clarke landed the cleaner punches during the opening two rounds and kept his composure as Gregores attempted to draw him into exchanges.

The Argentine invited Clarke to engage during the third round, but the Derry boxer responded with a solid left hand to the cheek.

Dubliner Ryan O'Rourke finally got his opportunity to fight on home soil and made it count, extending his professional record to 14-0 with a 40-36 points win over Argentina's Emiliano Leonel Araujo.

Known as 'The Silent Assassin', O'Rourke has competed in England, Spain, Belgium and the United States since turning professional.

His opportunities have been limited in recent times, with the victory over Araujo coming after a lengthy wait to box in Ireland. Before Saturday, his only contest in the previous two years had been a points win over Boubacar Sylla in New York last June.

The Inchicore boxer received strong backing from a travelling Dublin crowd who made the trip to Donegal for the occasion.

Ukrainian Vitalii Ustimov provided one of the night's quickest finishes, stopping Simon Donoval in the opening round.

Quigley has spoken highly of Ustimov's potential and the light-heavyweight offered another indication of his ability when he finished a combination with a powerful left hand to the body.

With Donoval down and visibly hurt near the red corner, referee Paul McCullough stepped in at two minutes and 19 seconds to bring the contest to an end.

Limerick light-heavyweight Kian Hedderman moved to five professional wins after overcoming Nikodem Schwarz on points.

Hedderman, who trains under Martin 'Gugu' Donovan, was awarded a 59-55 decision. He has become a regular on Donegal boxing cards and added another victory to his record.

Calvin Doyle also enjoyed a successful professional debut, defeating Mexico's Lakshmy Zaragoza Contreras on a 40-36 scorecard.

Doyle was sharp throughout and opened a cut on Contreras' lip in the final round as he completed a convincing first outing.

The evening began with an exhibition featuring Ballindrait's Dennis Lafferty and Enniskillen's Cameron Suttle.

Lafferty, a former Raphoe Boxing Club boxer, was twice an Ulster senior finalist. Another exhibition featured Dungloe boxer Matthew McCole, an Illies Golden Gloves light-middleweight and Irish Elite champion in June 2025, against County Derry's Cody Lee Peoples.