Headline Act Chirstina Desmond Ready to Thrive Under Home Pressure in Cork
Christina Desmond admits there will be nerves — but they’re the kind she welcomes.
Desmond returns home for the first time since she turned pro, indeed for the first time in as long as she can remember, when she tops a bill at the Parochial Hall this Saturday.
As such, it’s not just another date on the schedule. It will be a homecoming, fought in front of even more supporters than the large crowd she has brought to her first two fight.
“There’s a lot more pressure of course and there’s a lot of people coming to see me box that have never seen me box live before,” she tells Cork Beo. “It’s great to have their support.
“I don’t know when last I boxed in Cork, I couldn’t even put a year on it, but it was a long, long time ago. It’s like another professional debut really back at home.”
Desmond has started brightly with two wins under her belt. She has managed to train and hold down her job with the Guards. Juggling a pro career with a full-time position seems easier than mixing it with an amateur stay.
“I suppose the amateur game phased out because I have a career,” she added. “It was hard to do both being in the high-performance unit. I did it for 10 years and it just got too much in the end.
“I wasn’t happy with the way I was training so I kind of took a step back and I wasn’t happy with myself then because I wasn’t doing anything.”
The push toward the paid ranks came from long-time coach Tom Power, who believed her physicality and style would flourish without headguards and over longer rounds.
“He believes my style and my strength is far more suited to the professional game,” adds the 29-year-old Kevin Crowley managed former amateur standout.
“Turning professional I didn’t know what to expect but a world title is all anyone wants. That is the goal.
“But, at the moment, I’m taking each fight at a time.”
In Cork, though, she won’t just be fighting an opponent. She’ll be fighting to show her home support exactly what she’s capable of.
