BOXING COACH JOE LEONARD INSPIRED WORLD CHAMPION
DEIRDRE Gogarty - the trailblazer for women’s boxing in this country and the superstar who inspired Katie Taylor - says Joe Leonard was the one who put her on the journey to becoming the champion of the world.
Congress Avenue man Joe, who passed away last week, was synonymous with the sport, as a champion in his younger days, to becoming a wonderful coach to a generation of young people.
‘Joe Leonard was definitely one of a kind. As dedicated to Drogheda Amateur Boxing Club, and his beloved hometown, as anyone I ever met,’ she told the Drogheda Independent this week.
‘I’ll never forget the day I first talked to him. I had watched him come and go from the boxing club for weeks, from the vantage point of my father’s dental office on Wellington Quay. I finally plucked up enough courage to approach him outside the boxing club. I was a shy, determined, but terrified 17-year-old girl. My dream was to box, back when girls weren’t allowed to box in Ireland.
‘Meeting Joe is one of my favorite scenes out of my book My Call to the Ring. I won’t go into such in-depth color description here, but basically, he kept his coaching loyalty to the boys.
‘Nevertheless, the fact that he allowed me in the gym at all, was monstrous. Most other boxing gyms didn’t even allow girls to spectate, never mind actually join in the training.
‘ This is where Joe’s unique personality became my advantage. He was quiet, but marched to the beat of his own drum. I will always be grateful to Joe, because he turned the key to the start of my boxing career, and eventual world boxing title victory,’ she stated.
From that day in 1988 when she first stepped into the old ring where Bru stands today, Deirdre followd her dream and on March 2, 1997, beat Bonnie Canino to win the WIBF Featherweight title at the “Carnival of Champions” show at Keifer Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.
In a statement, the Drogheda club added, ‘Drogheda
Boxing Club wish to extend our sincere condolences to the family of
Joe Leonard, a very dear friend, coach and one of the founding members of our club, who sadly passed away. Rest
In Peace Joe.’
Joe’s funeral was to St. Mary’s
Church, James
Street on Monday. Joe was predeceased by his parents Joseph and Elizabeth, brother Tom and sister Maura. He is sadly missed by his loving niece
Karen, sisters Estelle, Frankie and
Gaye, sister-in-law
Mary, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.