Francesca Hennessy wants to become the youngest undisputed world champion

Written by Daniele D'Alessio

FRANCESCA Hennessy is not yet five professional fights under her belt, but the 19-year-old has set her sights on becoming the youngest world champion ever to be contested.

Confident, attractive, and extremely talented, Hennessy represents a new generation of boxers inspired by current champions to make their own history.

“I would like to be the undisputed youngest world champion because the youngest is currently 23,” said Hennessy. Debate News.

“I have three more years left to do that and I believe I can achieve that. I believe I can if I take the right fights at the right time. I'm still young. That's my biggest goal and that's what I'm aiming for.”

Labeled by Vasyl Lomachenko's female version of Gareth A Davies, Hennessy's introduction to boxing was inevitable. The daughter of legendary promoter Mick Hennessy and the sister of Michael Hennessy Jr, there was no escaping the sweet science that flowed through Francesca's family when she was young.

Hennessy continued: “My brother would train in the hallway and I would sit in the hall for hours watching him. This wasn't even boxing yet. I just enjoyed watching him and practicing those things myself.

“So when I started, what inspired me the most was my brother because he also wanted me to box. He was in the corridor holding my pads and showing me things. Then we tease him and he gets down on his knees and I give it to him in the hall.”

She was also inspired by Savannah Marshall, one of the first female boxers in the UK who gained a lot of respect and showed what she could achieve. The interest in women's boxing has continued to grow over the years and Hennessy wants to follow in Marshall's footsteps by being a good role model for the next generation.

“I think I first met Savannah when I was twelve,” Hennessy said. He took me sparring and showed me all these things. As a girl who wanted to be a boxer, it opened my eyes.

“Right now, I can do this. I saw how my father and Peter Fury took care of Savannah and how women's boxing has become.

“Not only as a boxer but as a person I looked up to Savannah because she was fun and beautiful outside the ring. But once he's in there, he's a killer and he takes people out.

“I like that comparison. I love how good you can be outside the ring but when you get in there you have bad intentions. I've been looking at Savannah in that sense. “

But like all athletes with dreams of becoming elite, sacrifice is normal. Especially in boxing, where training camps are strictly controlled and weekends spent in nightclubs don't (or shouldn't) exist. However, when you are young, those temptations are hard to resist.

“When I started, it was difficult. But now it's just my life. I am so grateful to be doing what I love every day because most people don't get to do that. I don't feel bad when I see everyone going out to have fun while I'm at home.

“It was difficult at first when you saw all your friends leaving and you couldn't go with them. But now it's just my life. It's not my kind of vibe anymore.”

Furthermore, boxing requires a different level of stoicism. A mind that is not affected by loss in your personal life. Instead, it's the ability to focus on the task at hand while blocking out all distractions. Before the fourth fight of his professional career, Hennessy had to practice this virtue himself as a plane faced with chaos after takeoff.

“His mother died a few weeks before my fight. My Nan was like my best friend. I was always close to my sister, especially in the camp where you can't go out with your friends and you can't meet.

“My nan's is where I used to go for a cup of tea. We laughed and it was always my place to be. So it was a really difficult time.

“But I just believe that when things like that happen, you can stay away from them. Or you can stand up, move on, make them proud, make their name stay in the memory.

“I believed by giving my fight to him, I can make him proud. I knew you would look down on me that day. Although it was difficult, I am happy that I got through this fight.”

Hennessy defeated Dorota Norek on June 15 on points on the undercard of the Chris Billam-Smith vs Richard Riakporhe rematch. The referee scored the belt 77-75 in Hennessy's favor and it was the toughest fight of his young career to date. No prospect is expected to lose their first few fights, yet many fail. Norek was unexpectedly acid tested and Hennessy passed.

“I'm happy with the way I played because there were a few things that went wrong while I was building. I had a lot going on in my personal life. Dorota is a very tough woman. He came to win.

“My last few competitors were sitting in fear and didn't really want to get involved. So it was nice to have someone who was really going to win and fight.

“It was also good to be in that situation of not having all the way and having to dig a little deeper.

“I'm very happy with this fight and I'm very happy that I learned a lot from it which is very important.”

Now 4-0 with one knockout, Hennessy wants to get back in the ring as soon as possible. A crack at the undisputed championship may have to wait for now, although 'The Billion Dollar Baby' can claim to be fighting for more golden clothes before the end of the year.

“I want to keep busy,” she said. “I'm still young, so I want to continue playing football. Even since my last fight, after a few weeks of training I feel how much I have learned from it and what I have picked up.

“I've looked back at my fight and said 'I can do this in my next fight, I can do that.' It made me even more excited for my next fight after that fight. There's still a lot I haven't shown you.

“There is so much about Fran Hennessy that people have never seen. So in my next fight I want to show more of my style.

“I would like to get a few fights and I would like a title at the end of the year. I am not sure what kind of title but some kind of title in late 2024.”