Brandon Ogilvie upsets odds, outscores Darragh Foley

 
BRANDON Ogilvie’s decision win over Darragh Foley was a shock to many, but not to those inside of his team.

 
The 22-year-old Indigenous ace put in a signature performance, stifling the offensive blitz of Darragh Foley, in a near flawless ten round display at Sydney’s Netball Central to defend his WBA affiliated regional bauble.

 
Foley (now 8-2, 6 KOs) was widely considered as Ogilvie’s toughest test in his short career and most believed that the Irishman’s tall frame and switch-hitting stance would cause the West Australian many problems.

 
The Australian lightweight titleholder was cheered to the ring by his raucous Irish support, but the crowd was silenced by the midway point of the fight as Ogilvie (now 15-1, 7 KOs) put on a boxing masterclass.

 
A flash knockdown in the opening round, followed by point deductions in the second and seventh rounds made the task at hand increasingly difficult for Foley, who almost exclusively looked for an unlikely one-punch knockout.

 
At times, the fight was far from pretty, but Ogilvie did what he needed to in order to smother Foley’s best work.

 
“Saturday night was one of the hardest fights I’ve had and it pushed me to that next level,” said Ogilvie.

 
“Foley fought like a true champion. I’m glad I got the win and I have nothing but love and respect for Darragh.”

 
In victory, Ogilvie – who made the first defence of his lightweight regional strap – and his team showed an ability to adapt their strategy to suit, with their charge showing parts of his game that most hadn’t seen before.

 
Ogilvie’s trainer, Peter Wilkenson, or as he is better known ‘Fox’, highlighted their game plan post-fight.

 
“We studied Darragh and worked out a game plan and Brandon stuck to it,” said Wilkenson. “Darragh is tough and I’ll give him that. But Brandon deserves credit, he showed that he really is something special.”

 
“We put the hard work in the gym, it was a big team effort,” added Ogilvie’s father, Brad. “Darragh was riding a wave of success and he was the lightweight to beat in Australia. I’m proud of my son, I still have a huge smile.”

 
The feeling of euphoria was spread across Ogilvie’s team, including the fighters manager Brendan Bourke.

 
“The team is over the moon about this win,” said Bourke. “Brandon beat the man that’s beaten two Australian champions. I want to give a lot of credit to Brandon and his trainers Fox and Brad for the perfect fight plan,”

 
With the win, the WBA #10 world rated lightweight will continue to rise in the organisations ratings. As the dust continues to settle on Ogilvie’s latest win, Bourke admits they are yet to plan out their next move.

 
“We are going to sit down during the week and talk about what’s next,” Bourke concluded.

 
“But I truly think Brandon just proved he’s the best lightweight in the country.”

 
 
Photo: Louie Abigail/Photography by Rockfingrz