‘It’d be a shame but goal is still LA’ – Jennifer Lehane focused on Worlds as boxing’s Olympic future still in limbo

Ireland’s first bantamweight Olympian Jennifer Lehane is part of the squad travelling to Serbia for the women’s World Championship this week and the former kickboxer, who has won titles and medals at World and European level, is looking forward to building on her experience in Paris, where she lost in the second round to Yuan Chang.

“She was a top class operator. The Chinese women’s team are very strong. She started boxing at 12 and in 2019 she won the Youth Olympics. I only kind of found out all these facts after I had boxed her, but I was happy with my performance and you learn from it and you push on.

“I’m buzzing to bring all the lessons I learned and use them to achieve something special in the Worlds.”

Lehane and the rest of the team have prepared for Serbia with training trips to France and China, where they sparred with some of the world’s best amateur boxers. The Ashbourne native, along with fellow Paris Olympians Michaela Walsh, Grainne Walsh and Daina Moorehouse, were part of the first Irish group to take part in a training camp at the Beijing Olympic training centre.

“They’ve so many boxers there. So I got four really good quality spars with four different opponents,” Lehane said.

“I sparred the 50kg Olympic champion over there, so that was really great to get some rounds in with her. They won five medals in Paris, three golds, so the quality of the sparring was unbelievable.”

In the past week, boxing has taken a step closer to being included on the programme for Los Angeles 2028 after the International Olympic Committee granted provisional recognition to World Boxing.

China and Ireland remain notable absentees from World Boxing’s current list of members and the organisation acknowledged it must do more to convince the IOC that the future of Olympic boxing lies in their hands. Lehane is confident these issues will be resolved in time to allow her qualify for her second Games.

​“I know there is a lot of noise out there and it would be such a shame if boxing was to be taken out, but the goal is to reach LA 2028 and hopefully everything just falls into place for that to happen.

“We are all keeping our head down and keep working and, for me, I’m focusing on myself and hopefully everything on the outside sorts itself out.”

Lehane is not the only Ashbourne native travelling to Serbia as Judy Bobbett will enter rarefied air as she competes for her country in a second sport after playing for Ireland in the 2020 Six Nations.

“Judy’s a great girl and it’s great to be representing Ashbourne again, the two of us on the Irish team. She comes in from a totally different background but we are both dual internationals which is crazy.

“She’s not in the High Performance Centre that long so it just shows the quality of the coaches and set up we have here so hopefully we can bring some more titles back home.”

Bobbett, meanwhile, recalled the excitement around the area when her teammate competed in Paris last August.

Judy Bobbett celebrates her elite national title success. Photo: Sportsfile

“It’s class to have two Ashbourne natives on the team. When Jenny went to the Olympics there was such a buzz and when you mention boxing at home, Jenny’s name is the first name out of everyone’s mouth.

“We would’ve grown up in similar circles even though we played different sports but it’s amazing to have two female role models from the same place flying the flag.

“Your origin and your roots are so important when you represent your country at an elite level and it is nice to have that connection when you’re away in a different country, so we are going to be rooting each other on and hopefully we can bring two medals back.”

Irish Olympic boxer Jennifer Lehane is a brand ambassador for Chadwicks. Lehane will compete in the women’s World Championships, which take place in Nis, Serbia, from March 9-16

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