![\"Christina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_inpho_02115009.jpg\")
Christina Desmond (Image: \u00a9INPHO\/Aleksandar Djorovic)<\/p>\nShe is the most decorated Irish female amateur boxer to turn professional since her former teammate Katie TaylorChristina Desmond (Image: \u00a9INPHO\/Aleksandar Djorovic)<\/p>\n
Highly decorated amateur Christina Desmond has world title ambitions as she prepares to make her professional debut this weekend.<\/p>\n
The Cork<\/a> native, 29, switches to the pro ranks having won nineteen National Irish titles, including six at senior elite level, as well as a silver medal at the 2022 European Boxing<\/a> Championships. She is the most decorated Irish female amateur to turn professional since her former teammate Katie Taylor.<\/a><\/p>\n “It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to turn professional and make my debut here at the National Stadium,” said Desmond, a serving garda<\/a>, who faces 1-0 Polish fighter Joanna Fraszczak in a welterweight bout scheduled for four rounds.<\/p>\n “I’ve been boxing in the National Stadium for about 15 years now. Hopefully my career will move promptly from here. There came a time in my career that I wanted to turn pro and here I am.”<\/p>\n She added: “I wouldn’t be too much of a cocky person, but the goal is to be world champion and hopefully this is the start of it. I feel like I’ve never been as strong or as fit and I hope that I put on that kind of a show on Friday night and show the world what I am like.<\/p>\n “My amateur career I did well, I could have done better, but I feel like this is just the start of it and I look forward to where it will take me.”<\/p>\n Sarah Murphy, 18, also makes her professional debut on Friday’s JB Promotions show, facing the 0-16 Kerry Orton of England in a welterweight bout also scheduled for four rounds.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, fellow Co Kildare fighter Kelsey Leonard<\/a> is having her second pro bout after beating Kira Carter with a second round KO on debut in Belfast<\/a> two months ago.<\/p>\n “I’m really excited to be on such an unbelievable card, especially alongside two other female fights.” said Leonard, who faces Hungarian Zsanett Milak, also 1-0, in a featherweight contest. “It’s great to be a part of it. It’s a huge night for Irish boxing.<\/p>\n She added: “I’ve fought in this stadium I don’t know how many times. I won all eight of my Irish titles here so it will be familiar.<\/p>\n “I think it will be a different environment because it’s obviously a pro show, but I think I’ll be a bit more comfortable because it is closer to home.<\/p>\n “I’m not putting any pressure on myself, but it’s a good step up. We both have undefeated records so I think it is going to be a tough challenge but I’m confident in myself that I’m going to put on a good performance.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"She is the most decorated Irish female amateur boxer to turn professional since her former teammate Katie TaylorChristina…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199380,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[23154,64,63,802,17101,8200,124792,124793,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-199379","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boxing","8":"tag-an-garda-siochana","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-boxing","12":"tag-cork","13":"tag-katie-taylor","14":"tag-kellie-harrington","15":"tag-kelsey-leonard","16":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Christina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_inpho_01019395.jpg\")
Christina Desmond taking a selfie with Michaela Walsh, Kellie Harrington, Katie Taylor, Grainne Walsh and Ceire Smith in 2016(Image: \u00a9INPHO\/Morgan Treacy)<\/p>\n