‘I’ll Be Ready’ – Kelsey Leonard Eyes MVP Opportunity After Headline Victory
Kelsey Leonard believes there is plenty of value to be had in Ireland for Most Valuable Promotions.
MVP, the Jake Paul-fronted promotional outfit and home of Amanda Serrano, have been to the fore of female boxing for the last number of years.
While they don’t have the leading lady, Katie Taylor on their books, they have signed up a lot of the top talents in the women’s game.
Speaking recently MVP co-founder Nikisa Bidarian recently identified Ireland and the UK as priority markets for the promotion’s future expansion plans.
Leonard, who topped her first card in Dublin last weekend, assures that venturing to Ireland would be wise – and she is open to being MVP’s Irish VIP.
The Unit 3 boxer had a clear message.
“They need to come to Ireland soon,” she said when speaking to Irish-boxing.com.
“They’re obviously such a huge promotion and they have such a huge roster in America and even in the UK now they have a lot of fighters.
“But they need to come to Ireland soon and there’s so many Irish fighters, Irish female fighters over here that you’d be able to sell out a show over here with all of us.”
The lightweight, who secured a stoppage win on a bill that also included Ireland’s youngest professional boxer, Sarah Murphy, argues that Irish boxing is currently producing enough talent to support a major event and believes the strength of the women’s scene as well as Ireland’s history in producing top female talent makes the country an attractive option.
Her own stock certainly continues to rise.
Saturday night’s victory saw Leonard headline a professional card for the first time and produce another destructive performance.
“It was a really great feeling,” she said of stopping road warrior Klaudia Ferenczi in the main event.
“It was a really good night headlining.
The bout was also scheduled for eight rounds, another important milestone as Leonard moves closer to title contention.
Although she had hoped to bank rounds and experience, Leonard had no complaints when the opportunity to finish the fight presented itself.
“It’s good to have fought for the eight rounds so I have that under my belt if I can fight for more titles now,” she said.
“What do they say? You don’t get paid for overtime,” she adds, referencing the stoppage.
“I did want to get a couple of rounds under my belt, but if that opportunity comes, I think you’re stupid not to take it.”
The stoppage carried added significance because of the opponent involved.
Ferenczi is notably durable and has taken some good fighters the distance over an innings that spans over 150 fights.
“She’s a really durable opponent and she’s only been stopped a couple of times. She’s never been knocked out.
“So yeah, I think it’s a bit of a statement and I’m just really happy with tonight.”
The finish, another brilliant body shot, came after Leonard patiently worked her way into the contest.
“I knew she was tricky and she was clever. I watched a few of her fights and she knows how to get through the rounds.”
“The game plan was to just feel it out for the first round and then see what openings came.
“Her hands are quite high, so for the first couple of rounds I was focusing on the head and trying to bring her hands up even more.
“Then because her hands come up so high, that opening is there.
“I’m usually quite long and I stay in and out a lot. I just trusted myself and trusted in Niall [Barrett] to hold my feet a little bit more and stay in close.”
The performance has increased calls for the emerging talent to challenge for titles sooner rather than later.
“I’d really like to get a Celtic title,” she says.
“But if I have to bypass that and go for bigger things, that would be amazing.”
And if one of those bigger opportunities comes under the MVP banner, Leonard has already made her intentions clear.
“When they start looking in Ireland,” she said, “I’ll definitely be ready and I’d like to take an opportunity like that when it comes.”
