Jennifer Lehane & Aoibhe Carabine – Future Irish Boxing Stars
The Irish Boxing scene could see 2 promising young talents in Jennifer Lehane and Aoibhe Carabine, who may help revive big nights of boxing in the country. As Katie Taylor prepares for her highly-anticipated trilogy against Amanda Serrano, set to take place in Ireland, the focus is shifting toward the emerging amateur boxers in the country.
It’s crucial to identify and nurture the next generation of Irish boxers who can keep the sport thriving for years to come and take their place on high-profile fight cards.
Future Irish Boxing Stars?
Bantamweight, Jennifer Lehane advanced in the Strandja tournament on the 22nd of February in Sofia against the American, Patricio Shera Mae. It is an amateur tournament, excitingly with 3-minute rounds also for female fighters, overseen by the European Boxing Confederation. Today marked the debut in the competition for Carabine and unfortunately, the middleweight lost to the Greek, Stavridou Vasiliki.
Their Recent Fights
Lehane stormed the opening two rounds, winning on all five-judge scorecards through a mixture of fast-hand speed, relentless pressure, and economic in+out movement. She then finished in style, swarming Shera Mae to the body and coasting to victory on the backfoot.
Carabine struggled with the light bouncing on the feet of Vasiliki, who had a trademark amateur template for scoring success. Nonetheless, Carabine showed a willingness to meet fire with fire and did well in forcing back Vasiliki’s early dominance. She is only 21 and the dogged counter-punching she deployed against a well-seasoned operator suggests it’s just as much on her horizon as Lehane’s, to eventually push on for glory in the pro game.
Their Background
Aoibhe Carabine fights out of County Mayo, where she is an assistant Coach at Geesala Boxing Club and is in the final year of a university degree in Sports and Exercise. She has won the Irish Championship 11 times and is a European Junior gold medal winner.
Jennifer Lehane fights out of Ashbourne and is ranked 17th out of 264 amateur bantamweight fighters on Boxrec, which is no surprise given her ranking takes into account a 2022 Haringey Box Cup win. She has dreams of representing Ireland next year at the Paris Olympic Games.
By Harry Duffy
Also, read: Misfits Boxing: Breaking Barriers With Tag Team Boxing
