Kildare boxer Sarah Murphy relishing the prospect of turning professional

Kildare boxer, Sarah Murphy is relishing the prospect of turning professional later this year.

A rising star in St. Brigid’s Boxing Club in Kildare Town, the 18-year-old is scheduled to take to the ring in the National Stadium for her pro debut under JB Promotions on October 10th.

Murphy, whose opponent for her debut has yet to be announced, will compete at super lightweight (63.5kg) hoping to make an immediate impact at the home of Irish boxing.

Her move marks the end of a hugely impressive run in the amateur ranks that featured no less than eight national titles, but Murphy believes the switch to the professional ranks will suit her well, insisting that it’s a move she is has been working towards for quite some time.

“It's amazing, I'm over the moon” Murphy told The Kildare Nationalist. “This was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. I had to grab it with both hands.

“Turning professional has always been talked about since I was young, and I just think the timing couldn't have been any better. I really feel it's time to turn the page and move on to another chapter.

“I started boxing when I was five years of age and I've never hidden the fact that I wanted to go pro. That was always my long-term dream and now that it’s finally becoming a reality, I’m just so excited to see where the journey goes.

“I've heard so many people in the past say that my style of boxing is more suited to pro than amateur, just by the way I box, with the explosiveness. It’s just my style in general” she said.

While the switch to professional boxing will mark a big move for Murphy, it’s a transition that will be made a lot smoother by the fact that she will be retaining her long-time coaching team of Paddy Phelan and her father, Wes.

“To be honest, I couldn't walk away from Paddy” said Murphy. “I've been with him from such a young age and I'm glad he accepted that I was turning over to the professional ranks and that he decided to come on board with me.

“I genuinely couldn't have done it without him. I already have such a good bond with him and our relationship is really good.

“He knows me inside out. He knows when I'm having bad days and he knows when I'm having good days without me even having to open my mouth.

“Really, I couldn't have done it without him, my dad, St. Brigid's Boxing Club, all the coaches over the years, my family, friends. Without them, it just wouldn’t have been possible to get to where I am now” she said.

While there is no doubt Murphy has benefitted from huge support in St. Brigid’s, she is widely regarded as one of the most talented emerging boxers in this country.

Her record of eight Irish titles speaks for itself, three of those coming at Under 18 degree.

And, while she did lift this month’s National Under 19 65kg Championship title, she was not afforded the opportunity to bring the curtain down on her amateur career in the manner in which she would have liked.

Indeed, she was due to face off against two-time World champion, Siofra Lawless in the final, but the Four Kings BC star was unable to compete and Murphy was duly awarded the walkover.

“I was raging I couldn't box because, even though things weren’t confirmed that I was turning pro at that stage, I still had it in my head that this was going to be my last amateur fight” she explained.

“I was looking forward to it and when I got the news that Siofra was pulling out, I was absolutely gutted. I was looking forward to going out and putting on a performance” she sighed.

Still Murphy has quickly turned her attention back to her upcoming venture and is already giving it her best in her preparation to make it a winning debut.

“I’m straight back into it, training hard, just staying on top of things and making sure that there's no stone left unturned. I’m just putting in all the work to make sure that it's going to be a performance to remember” she said.