A hero’s welcome!
Curadh Boxing Club’s Siofra Kenny wins All-Ireland title
CURADH BOXING CLUB star Siofra Kenny returned home to a hero’s welcome in Carnew on Monday evening following her convincing win over Darndale’s Georgia Stewart in the Under-18 All-Ireland lightweight final at the National Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.
A rousing roar greeted the national champion when she stepped through the doors of the club where a large crowd of family and friends were gathered.
Kenny, who only took up the sport two years ago, was a pillar to post winner over Darndale’s Stewart in front of a big crowd at the Dublin venue, and now qualifies to fight in the Ireland singlet in Croatia in the European Championships later this year.
Siofra’s dad and coach, Darragh Kenny, said that he was immensely proud of his daughter but said that her victory was all down to her massive efforts in terms of training and preparation.
A first-round knock-down of the Dublin fight by Siofra was ruled out as a slip but the Curadh star knew that the signs were promising.
A dogfight of a second round followed before a comfortable third round ended with Siofra being crowned All-Ireland champion.
“I knew going in that I was as fit as a fiddle, and I knew I was ready to rock. There was no way I was going to fail,” said Siofra who said that it was a hook that sent her opponent to the canvass in the opening round.
“It was given as a slip, but I caught her with a hook. Second round I was finding it hard, she was constantly holding on to me and then the third round was comfortable enough,” she added.
A talented camogie player, Kenny has a very bright future in both sports, and will don the Irish singlet for the very first time later this year, with the entire community of Carnew set to be tuned in to follow her progress.
But her success in the game of boxing didn’t seem all that likely given an early aversion to the sport, with Siofra’s sister Saoirse describing how the young boxer didn’t care for the sport in the slightest at one time, a memory that Siofra now laughs at.
“I was too scared to box. I didn’t like it,” she said before revealing that it was seeing the efforts of her sister and her father, Darragh, that helped win her around.
“I was kind of watching where Saoirse went and where dad went, putting in all the hard work, I was kind of like, ‘I want to do that’. Seeing everyone else do it, I was thinking that I want to do that,” she said.
Siofra trains three times a week and only after she has trained the younger members of the club first. Both herself and her father spend over three hours a night in the club tending to the ever-growing numbers of eager pugilists. Siofra says her success wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of her father.
“I wouldn’t be able to do this without him,” she said.
For his part, Darragh Kenny says that his daughter brought home this All-Ireland title because of her superb dedication to the sport.
“She’s a great girl to train. I can’t fault her,” said Darragh. “She’d train five nights a week if she could. She loves it. Funnily enough, three years ago there was no way I could get her in the ring. No way. She started boxing because she was on the county hurling team, and she wanted to get fit. And she took a love for it and now she’s an All-Ireland champion.
“It’s unbelievable. She’s a credit to herself,” he added.