Writer Emma Lindsey reflects on the rise of British boxing star Francesca Hennessy and the role faith plays in her journey to the top of the sport. As the undefeated champion continues to make headlines, Emma explores whether Christian belief and a sport built on combat can comfortably coexist.
When Britain’s Francesca “Fran” Hennessy beat Italy’s Aurora De Persio at Wembley Arena recently, in defence of her WBC Silver Bantamweight title, televised live on the BBC, I marvelled at her style, and I don’t mean her pink satin tracksuit.
Her assault on De Persio was as methodical and precise as it was vicious. I perched on the edge of the sofa while the daughter of boxing promoter Mick Hennessy powered through the gears, doling out hooks, uppercuts and jabs at a jaw-dropping rate, until midway through the sixth round the fight was stopped on a TKO to huge cheers, including mine.
But as impressive as that fight was – her ninth undefeated bout – it was the ‘Billion Dollar Babe’s’ post-fight interview that really caught my attention.
After crossing herself in the ring as she held up her WBC belt, the first words out of her mouth were: “First of all, all glory to God,” which she followed with, “I’m truly blessed…” several times during the course of the ringside interview.
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I tried to get a few words in person with Fran about how she squares her public confessions of faith with the violence of boxing, but was unable to get a response from either her or her entourage.
Some might see a conflict – pun intended – between referencing the Gospel of Peace just moments after knocking the wind out of someone
Some might see a conflict – pun intended – between referencing the Gospel of Peace just moments after knocking the wind out of someone, but I would argue that not only is it just another example of sport imitating life, but also that you don’t have to dig too deeply into Scripture to find barely veiled references to fighting. 1 Timothy 6:12 and Isaiah 40:31 are just two examples. And what about Ephesians 6:11 exhorting us to put on the “full armour of God” daily?
The Sun newspaper called Francesca Hennessy a “fast-rising prospect in the UK scene”, whilst top boxing pundit Steve Bunce admired Hennessy’s “spitefulness”, remarking: “If she was an American, we would be raving about how she’s been unbeaten in nine bouts and fights like a Mexican!” Bunce is right, but the feisty 21-year-old from Sevenoaks, Kent is making good headway regardless.
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Her fighting name, ‘Billion Dollar Baby’, is more than likely a nod of respect to Christy Martin, America’s first female super-welterweight title fighter, whose trademark was wearing pink boxing shorts in the ring and who broke newspaper headlines by smashing boxing’s barriers.
“I’m not where I want to be yet, but I’m proud of where I am.”
Hennessy is doing the same for a new generation of women. As she put it: “I’m not where I want to be yet, but I’m proud of where I am.” Back in the late Nineties, when veteran British boxing promoter Kellie Maloney identified as a man called Frank, he steered the careers of world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, among others. He used to tell any journalist who’d listen that he would never promote women’s fights, and that the only place for women in boxing was carrying ring cards. Note: this was in the days when women were still employed to wear swimsuits and high heels to walk around a boxing ring holding up a card with the number of the next boxing round.
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Around the same time, Jane Couch MBE, the former British professional boxer, was forging a path in women’s boxing, becoming Britain’s first licensed female boxer in the process after winning an historic court case in 1998. Before Couch, licensed women’s boxing was banned in Britain. Scroll down a couple of decades to Fran, who is open about her past struggles with her weight and dyslexia, which caused her to be bullied at school. She maintains it was boxing that threw her a lifeline out of her emotional pain, as it has done for many. Because sometimes it’s easier to be angry than it is to feel sad.
In an interview for BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, she said: “When you go into a boxing gym everyone gets on; it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from. You learn how to defend yourself. Everyone should learn how to defend themselves.” Ben Shalom, her promoter, says: “[Here’s] this 21-year-old coming into the most vicious sport in the world, dressed in pink and being spiteful in the ring. If that isn’t inspiring every female in every boxing ring in Britain, I don’t know what will.”
One of her Instagram reels gave me goosebumps. It shows her journey from a sweet-faced, pudgy nine-year-old, pushing herself to run eight laps of a track while her father films and cheers her on, cut to years later, her running down the same track, but with the physique and focus of an athlete, and which ends with her striding into the boxing ring like she owns it.
Her aim is to be the youngest undisputed champion in history. If she wins her next bout against undisputed champion Cherneka Johnson, she will be.
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