5 hours Ago By [email protected] (Robert Hynes)
Tipperary fighter Shauna O'Keefe continued her explosive start in the professional ranks with another stoppage victory on Friday night. O'Keefe stopped Poland's Bojana Libiszewska in the second round of their contest at The Brewery in London. With the win, the Clonmel boxer looks set to land a contract with big-time boxing promoter Frank Warren, who hosted Friday night's card.
READ MORE: Amanda Serrano wants rules change for Katie Taylor trilogy fight: 'The only way I feel like it will be fair' READ MORE: Katie Taylor's net worth more than doubles as Irish superstar discusses what's next O'Keefe, 30, only returned to boxing in 2022 after taking six years out of the sport following an amateur defeat to Kellie Harrington as she worked running gyms. On her return to the ring, she won eight amateur fights within four months and was crowned National Elite Champion at 63kg before turning professional towards the end of 2023. The lightweight boxer came into Friday's fight after knocking out Iceland's Valgerdur Gudsteinsdottir at the 3 Arena in September.
And she was much too good for Polish journeywoman Libiszewska (7-67). The Carrigeen Queen knocked Libiszewska down twice in the first round before the contest was waved off in the second. O'Keefe flew to London after helping Katie Taylor train for her rematch with Amanda Serrano last weekend.
The Tipperary woman visited Taylor's training camp in Connecticut several times to serve as the undisputed super-lightweight champion's sparring partner. "My aim is to become a world champion and Katie said to me that is achievable within a few more fights," O'Keeffe recently stated. "I'm going to give this my all for the next few years until I'm between 36 and 38.
"I'm not going to go looking for the knockout in my next fight, if it comes, it comes and if it doesn't, it doesn't. Queensberry usually have a show early in the year around the end of January/ start of February and I want to be on that. "I don't mind skipping Christmas dinner if I have to if it means getting out again early in 2025.
"A deal with Queensberry is exactly what I'm after and Frank Warren doesn't have a lightweight women's boxer so it's perfect. "It's a stacked division and there's so many great fights that can be made in it." Taylor still holds the WBA and WBC belts at lightweight but was forced to relinquish the others because she stayed at 140lbs.
England's Terri Harper is the WBO champion at 135 lbs, while Beatriz Ferreira, whom Kellie Harrington defeated to reach this year's Olympic final three years after beating her to win gold, holds the IBF strap. Caroline Dubois, the sister of IBF heavyweight world champion Daniel, is the WBC interim champion. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts .
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