JERSEY Leonis roared back in great style to beat an Essex county select 6-4 at the Radisson SAS on Saturday night and retain their unbeaten record for the season.
There were sparkling performances all round, and not just from winners Tommy Noel, Danny Kennedy, Shane Goggin, Boyd Munroe and Scott Finnigan. But the night will undoubtedly be best remembered for the home debut of Jersey’s first female boxer.
Kadie O’Byrne, a slightly built 17-year-old Jersey College for Girls pupil, lived up to her initials with a quick-fire victory over Farnham flyweight Victoria Jones in the second bout of the night. Jones, slightly the bigger girl, with one bout already under her belt, had little answer to O’Byrne’s cool approach and powerful lefts to body and head. A mandatory technical stoppage from referee Brian Follain followed the second of two standing eight counts in round one.
O’Byrne, who has trained at South Hill for around 18 months prior to her ring debut, is immensely popular with the other boxers, having earned their respect with her dedicated approach. Said the club’s head coach Dave Thompson: ‘She received phenomenal support from the boys. Kadie will be off to university now and if she wants to continue in the sport, we’ll make sure she is taken good care of.’
