Former world champion donates two most valuable boxing kits of her career to Drogheda Boxing Club and Millmount Museum
Ireland’s first female professional boxer and professional world champion Deirdre Gogarty has spoken warmly about the people of Drogheda and the huge welcome they showed her during her recent visit to the town of her birth.
“Healing has been the word best to describe my week back at home. The welcome I have been given by the town of Drogheda and the boxing fraternity has warmed my heart and made it feel like a second homecoming” Deirdre said.
To show her appreciation to the people who gave her the chance to follow her dream in an era when women’s boxing was illegal, Deirdre also donated the two most valuable boxing kits of her career to Drogheda Boxing Club and Millmount Museum.
On Friday morning Deirdre visited Millmount Museum where she met staff members and Mayor Michelle Hall and donated the blue boxing kit she wore in November 1993 during her first world title attempt against Stacey Prestage in Kansas City.
Although Deirdre lost that bout on points it carries a lot of significance as it was the first ever world title boxing bout between two women as they both challenged for the WIBF lightweight world title. Although it was a loss for Deirdre, it was a huge win for women’s boxing.
Later on Friday Deirdre donated the full boxing kit she wore during her bout against Bonnie Canino on March 2nd 1997 to become WIBF Super featherweight World Champion, to Drogheda Boxing Club.
This event was attended by the minister for sport Thomas Byrne who gave his support for the committee’s cause for a statue to be erected in Drogheda.
“From all the coverage I’ve had over the last week with Drogheda’s local press as well as national press, I think people now see the big picture with Katie Taylor headlining in Ireland. When I first won the world title in 1997, I don’t think people realized at the time the significance of it.
“But now I think people see the huge battles I and others after me like Deirdre Nelson, Katie Taylor and Christina Mc Mahon had outside the ring to give young girls now the privilege to walk into a boxing ring.
“The businesses in Drogheda and people of Drogheda have been so kind and warm to me, and I am so grateful for that. It has brought back so many memories of when I was a young girl cycling to the Boxing club dreaming of being a World champion. Thus, I think it is only right I donate my most valuable world title kits to the people of the town.
“Firstly, Drogheda Boxing Club, who were the first in Ireland to not only only give me, but women the opportunity to box. I will always be in debt to the great Joe Leonard who let me walk into the gym and train in May 1987.
“Who knows where women’s boxing would be today if he had said no? So for that very reason I give my winning world title kit to the club.
“Secondly, growing up as a young girl dreaming of being a world champion, I also always secretly dreamt that my memorabilia would be in the Millmount museum for the locals to see.
“This was a dream of mine before I ever had a fight. And now 20 years after retirement, I am finally in the position to do that. So I was proud to pledge my blue boxing kit I wore in challenging for my first world title.
With the 10 days I have had back home, I must say Thank you, The People of Drogheda”
