Clondalkin's rising kickboxing star, Cayden Derwin, stood tall on the international stage at the Hungarian Kickboxing  WOrld Cup held in Budapest, Hungary from the 12th to 15th June. 

The HKWC was one of the latest and most competitive events in the sport to date featuring over 4,000 fighters from across the globe.

Representing BMA Clondalkin, 17 year old Cayden competed in the highly competitive K1 OJ -71kg category, where he faced off against none other than the division favourite DImitar Nikolov of Bulgaria. Despite a fast and aggressive start from the Bulgarian - landing strong leg kicks early  on - Cayden demonstrated impressive composure and world-class defensive skill. After withstanding the initial attack, the Clonndalkin fighter responded with counters and shut down the further point scoring opportunities. 

The contest went the full three rounds and was decided by the narrowest of margins, with Normatov just edging the win by two points. For Cayde, this marked only his third ever ring contest - compared to his opponent of over 30 competitive ring fights - an act that made Cayden's performance even more impressive.

Cayden was cornered by Damian Darker, Head Coach of Team Ireland's K1 Team with BMA Clondalkin head coach Ilija Salerno watching on the sidelines, unable to coach due to official event management duties for the event. Both praised grit, technical discipline and grit!

Next up for Cayden is a prestige fight night at the EKS 4 show in Clontarf in July, followed by his biggest opportunity yet - representing Ireland at the Junior European Championships in Jesolo, Italy this coming September

With relentless training ,humble focus and unshakable dedication, Cayden Derwin is fast becoming one of Ireland's brightest prospects in combat sports.