Tipperary’s ‘Slick Southpaw’ Shauna O’Keefe is ready to take another leap to glory

Shauna O’Keefe has proven herself to be one of Ireland’s finest boxers and is now taking the professional boxing world by storm. This month she will take another huge jump along the way to glory as the ‘Slick Southpaw’ competes on Irish soil for the first time in her pro career.

Back in the day, she was an outstanding amateur and had great battles with the likes of Katie Taylor, Kellie Harrington and Amy Broadhurst before the road turned towards pro-boxing: “It is a great start,” she says of the last few months. “I have moved my whole life over to Brentwood, Essex from Clonmel to pursue my dream of becoming a top class professional fighter,” says the 2023 Irish Elite Champion.

The 16th of March at the Salthill Leisureland Complex, Galway the Tipperary starlet takes on Polish opponent Angelika Oles. With the weekend that is in it, the buzz will be extra special. For Shauna she will take to the ring on Saturday night in Galway then on Sunday she will travel home early to lead the Clonmel St Patrick’s Day parade as Grand Marshal. As far as weekends go, this one promises to be special.

She is hoping for a massive swell of local support to be there roaring her on:  “I am really excited for it. We are going with an eight rounder so I am super rearing to go,” says the Clonmel legend. “I would love the support. I can’t express it enough. I am finally getting to fight on home soil and I really want a strong Tipperary crowd - and Clonmel crowd - out loud and proud. If they can get tickets please do, and the link is on my page and on Facebook.

“I need the support because I can feed off of it. People have been so proud of me for following my dream as the well wishers and messages I have been getting are amazing. Where it will really matter is to see those lovely faces out in the crowd when I get my hand raised and become 2-0 in Galway.

“I really need that support. To be totally honest with you I don’t care for money because I love what I do. I absolutely love what I do and I know I am going to go all the way. I want my people there every step of the way.”

Her dream is to fight for a World Title fight over the coming year or two at Semple Stadium with chants ringing out by her supporters across the hallowed turf. What a buzz it would be, and it all begins on March 16 when the bell goes for this first fight on Irish soil.

Supporters can get in here early and enjoy the journey: “The professional game is getting really strong in Ireland. To make sure it lasts people have to get out loud and proud and support. I want that homecoming in Semple Stadium.

“It is a goal of mine I keep thinking about. I’d love it there because Dublin is not my home, Tipperary is.” Training has gone well for Shauna since the last fight in which she beat Lithuanian Vaida Masiokaite in London last winter. Training since has gone superbly well in fact: “Just unbelievable,” she says.

“You are going to see a completely different version of me on the 16th of March. Something has clicked over the last few weeks and everything is coming together. I am getting progressively better with every single Spar.” As an amateur Shauna was renowned as being a really clever fighter, “a really slick Southpaw”, is how she was once described. 

“I am starting to introduce that into my pro game now. I am mixing between both technical boxing and fighting. It is a good watch.” She has started well and is now finding her feet at professional level: “I want to win in style. I want to show excitement and go through the rankings. I got ranked at 20 in the world after my first fight which is almost unheard of. The main target through all of this is to get progressively better with every single fight.”

Shauna is making massive strides, and fast. Kevin Mitchell is her trainer and they work well together: “He is amazing. There is a great buzz and I am adapting fast and absorbing everything he is imparting to me. You can see it in my boxing and you can see it in the ring.”

It is going to be a whirlwind few days for Shauna who was asked to be the Grand Marshal of the Clonmel parade the day after her bout in Galway: “It is a great honour to be the Grand Marshal for the Clonmel St Patrick’s Day parade. It is brilliant.

“I was always in the parade growing up whether it was as Majorettes or Dance Revolution or with Clonmel Boxing Club so leading the parade after being part of the parade since the age of three or four is wonderful. At 29, to be coming home and being the Grand Marshal is an absolute honour.

“It is my hometown and I will fight on Saturday night then get up early and my mam will bring me back to Clonmel on Sunday morning. I will be home for a week then before I go straight back over to Essex and straight back into camp again.”

Shauna wants the buzz to continue and the support makes a huge difference: “So many people have been amazing. My sponsor Camida, Peter Foran Engineering, Ryan Marketings, Colin Roles in Optimise and others have made massive strides to give me the platform I need.”