By Jason Redmond
One of Wexford’s newest professional boxers, David ‘Bomber’ Kennedy, has pencilled in a fresh-new date, with his next pro-boxing bout confirmed. The Gorey boxer will be fighting on the ‘A Night of Champions’ card in the National Stadium in Dublin on April 12th 2025.
Wexford Weekly had the opportunity to catch up with the Gorey man after the announcement.
Kennedy, who is 1-0 in the pro ranks, was forced out of a previous fight due to injury. One week ahead of the fight, he broke a bone in his hand which ruled him out of action. At the start of his career, and eager to fight, it was a blow for Kennedy:
“Yeah, it was tough to take at the time. A broken hand is not ideal. But, look it, we got over it and we’re back flying fit now for the April 12th show in the National Stadium. I had a good team around me at the time who kept the spirits high, but now, we just move on,” he said.
“My hand is perfect now. I think I’ve done 18 rounds sparring this week already. I’ve another six on Saturday. The hand is 100%”, he told Wexford Weekly.
With the appropriate rehab done, and with his hand back right, Kennedy’s first port-of-call was getting back into the boxing ring, eyeing up a new potential fight date.
As mentioned, he will be fighting on the ‘A Night of Champions’ card, which is promoted by both Conlan Sport and JB Promotions. Fight preparations are already underway:
“Preparations are going well. I don’t think I’ve ever been as fit coming into a fight camp than I am now. It’s seven weeks until fight night, but to be honest – I’d be ready to go now. It’s about nailing down a few technical things now before we get in and fight, but all good – the preparations are going very well,” he said.
Although he’s a proud Gorey and Wexford man, Kennedy has been doing a lot of training and sparring in Sallynoggin in Dublin. He resides in Gorey, but he regularly travels up to the South Dublin boxing club. Here, Kevin Cronin – who is preparing for a showdown in Maddison Square Garden against Dublin’s Emmett Brennan – also trains. Over the last year, the pair have become sparring partners. Both are on their own journey, but both are learning in every single training session from each other:
“I made the move to Lewins Boxing Gym in Sallynoggin last year. I think it was just the right move for me at the right time. Me and Johnny got on well, as well as Nicky and Parky. We all gelled together from the start. It was the perfect move really. The lads are top coaches up there.”
“But, I’d like to also give a shout-out to Gorey Boxing Club. Anytime I need to train there, there’s no bother. There’s top coaches in there too. You can see that too with the likes of Kayleigh Byrne, Eoin Kennedy recently winning a Leinster title, and Cillian Sheridan who is down there flying it at the moment too. The club is really in safe hands with the likes of Niall Murray, Rocky Sheridan, and all the trainers there too,” Bomber told Wexford Weekly.
The April 12th show cannot come quick enough for Kennedy. His debut was in the Red Cow in Dublin in October of 2024, winning by a unanimous decision on the judge’s scorecards. His boxing IQ was clear for everyone in attendance to see, dominating the proceedings and not allowing his Polish opponent any clear cut opportunities for a potential upset. For April 12th, his intention remains solely on putting in another excellent performance.
“You can expect slick, sharp boxing. And obviously, if the knock-out presents itself, I’ll be trying my best to take that too. As the saying goes, you don’t get paid for over-time in boxing,” he said.
This Dublin fight in April will be Bomber’s first fight of 2025. Although he’s not looking past it, he does envisage 2025 being a big year for him where he’ll be targeting multiple fights in a bid to build up his professional record.
“This is my first fight in 2025. I want to be very active in 2025. I’d love three to four fights this year. I’d love a fight down in Wexford also – and I’m sure the two Deans (Dean Walsh and Dean Gonzalez Furlong) would too. There’s three professional boxers now from Wexford – so it’s not too far out of the distance,” Kennedy told Wexford Weekly.
At the time of writing, Kennedy is unaware of his opponent just yet. With these fights, they are typically only confirmed the week before the fight. Promoters work hard in the background to find opponents, and regularly, opponents back out of the fight. It adds another dimension to preparations, as he realistically will not be aware of his opponent’s style or anything about him until fight week.
Another Wexford boxer, Dean Walsh, will also be fighting on the same card in Dublin. Dean Gonzalez Furlong will not be on this card, but we can exclusively reveal that he will headline a show in March, with further details to be revealed later. It’s sure to be an excellent night of boxing for boxing fans not just from Wexford, but nationwide.
