Boxer looking good to snatch Fenech record
She is the former beauty queen within striking distance of making Australian boxing history.
From the catwalk to ringwalks, Gold Coaster Che Kenneally is on track to surpass the legendary Jeff Fenech, whose 39-year record of winning a world title in the least number of fights is under threat.
Fenech took just seven fights to become the IBF world bantamweight champion when he beat Satoshi Shingaki in 1985, but Kenneally has a glorious chance to dethrone the ‘Marrickville Mauler’.
The 29-year-old single mum will seal a world-title shot if she beats Kiwi Sequita Hemingway this Saturday night in Ipswich on a card headlined by Paulo Aokuso and former NRL star Tevita Pangai Jr.
Kenneally (3-0) won a split decision over Hemingway in their first showdown last October and victory in their rematch will see the Mermaid Waters mauler fight for a world strap in just her fifth bout.
The WBA has pencilled in Kenneally to fight Colombia’s Angie Rocha (14-4-3) later this year for the vacant light heavyweight world title.
It means Kenneally is just two wins away from achieving her dream of conquering the world and, in the process, snatching one of Australia’s most prestigious boxing records owned by Fenech.
“I’m treating this like a world title fight because if I don’t win this, I don’t get my world title shot,” she said.
“We’re hoping to have the world title fight in Brisbane or the Gold Coast, that would be amazing.”
Kenneally’s father was a boxer and she not only grew up in gyms, but was a sporting phenom, having represented Australia and New Zealand in shot put, discus and hammer throw. But it was a chance meeting with a talent spotter a decade ago that led to her becoming a Miss Oceania contestant in a world supermodel pageant in Fiji.
“I was in a coffee shop and she (modelling agent) asked if I did modelling,” she said.
“I said ‘no’ and she said, ‘I want you to be Miss Oceania.
“There were about 15 girls and I ended up making the top 10, which was great, because it opened up a lot of opportunities for me with sponsorships and TV commercials.”
Despite her modelling cameo, she is no soft touch.
“Che is as tough as any female boxer I have seen,” said her trainer Fidel Tukel, who also manages Aokuso. “She’s not afraid to spar blokes in our gym and the harder a fight gets, the more she loves it.
“She is so close to a worldtitle shot and it would be a great reward.”
Kenneally relishes her reputation as a fighting mother.
“People who say they don’t have time in life, I call bullshit,” she said.
“Being a world champion would be amazing and show my daughter you can do anything you want to do.
“To be the best in the world and have the belt, it’s something I could give to my daughter and leave a legacy.”