Kelsey Leonard: It’s Ladies Night – and We Might Steal the Show!
Kelsey Leonard says it could be Ladies Night at the National Stadium on – and she’s ready to play her part.
There are tens of talking points heading into the Jay Byrne-promoted New Dawn card, most notably the four 50-50 domestic encounters.
Leonard points out that the stacked bill also has three female fights and notes that, in itself, is special.
Indeed, the Unit 3 operator believes that with debutants Christina Desmond and Sarah Murphy boxing alongside her, the women on the card could well steal the spotlight.
“This card is absolutely stacked,” Leonard told Irish-boxing.com. “It’s pretty cool to have three female fights on it as well. I think the girls might outshine the boys on the night.”
Leonard shares the stage with Desmond and Leahy – a trio she calls “an unreal lineup.”
Together, they represent a new wave of female talent following the trail blazed by Katie Taylor and co.
“There’s just so much going on in Irish boxing right now,” she said. “I’m really lucky I turned over at this time because there are so many opportunities. It’s a great time to be a professional, especially for female fighters.”
Although she is bigging up the girls, there is a part of the Niall Barrett-trained fighter that wants to stand out herself.
“I’m not going to give too much away,” she smiled, “but I’ll have a good performance and step up from there. Just keep an eye on it — one to watch.”
If Leonard repeats her debut performance, her New Dawn bout will be worth watching. The new-to-the-scene pro scored a first-round stoppage that revealed an aggressive edge to her skill set.
“I was always more of a technical boxer, but I’ve been told I have good body shots. That first fight gave me confidence and kind of confirmed it,” she adds before revealing she has yet to decide on a Ring Moniker.
“No nickname yet,” she laughed. “People keep trying to give me one, but none have stuck. Maybe I’ll just keep it simple for now.”
