CARNDONAGH’S MICHAEL ‘Owen’ McLaughlin is the New England Welterweight champion after an impressive win over Shakha Moore on Saturday night.
At the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, McLaughlin scored a unanimous decision win (79-72, 79-72, 79-73) over Moore to land the title.
It was a repeat of their title tilt from March when, at the House of Blues in Boston, the bout was stopped after five rounds due to a clash of heads.
McLaughlin was delighted to bag the victory, the 31-year-old southpaw claiming his first title.
[adrotate group=”57″]“The fight was a good tactical one,” he told Donegal Sport Hub.
“It was the first time I’ve ever gone the full eight rounds. I was comfortable doing that. I paced myself well.
“He was looking for the big haymakers all the time once I was inside, so I kept at a distance, just hit and moved.”
[adrotate group=”38″]Moore again caught McLaughlin with the head, the Inishowen man having to get a wound glued following a clash in the sixth round.
McLaughlin said: “When we fought in March, I was winning the fight, but he was continually using his head and I ended up getting eight stitches above my right eye and got my left eye glued.
“His head was catching me again at the weekend, but I was a lot more cautious this time. He gave me a gash in the sixth that I had to get glued again.”
McLaughlin drew his debut bout with Valentin Stoychev in Letterkenny back in 2010 and Saturday’s win moves his record to 12-1-1, while Moore goes down to 12-21-3.
[adrotate group=”37″]McLaughlin now has his mind on a bigger prize.
He said: “I’ve always wanted to go back and fight for an Irish title.
“I had great support once again and want to thank everyone who came up to support me for it. The support was a big help.
“I want to thank my loyal sponsors too: The McLaughlin brothers, Richard and Martin (Dinny) from Glengad out here in Boston, Stone Electric, DM Mechanical, P McMenamin, Moylan Painting, M Conroy and The Center Bar.”
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