In a touching tribute to the late Aaron ‘Lenny’ Leonard, boxer Rhys Owens wore custom shorts with Aaron’s nickname proudly printed on the back during his recent fight.
Owens made his professional debut at the much-anticipated Rumble In The Hills boxing event, which took place on Saturday night at the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny. A crowd of around 1,200 turned out to witness some of Ireland’s most promising boxing prospects.
Aaron, who sadly passed away earlier this year, played a significant role in Rhys’s training and preparation.
Rhys said, “Aaron had a major role in my team he overseen and planned all of my strength and conditioning training. He done an amazing job at this. We had been working together and had just started camp in preparation for my pro debut when we heard the terrible news.
“Aaron was more than just a coach he was a great person and a close friend so I thought it was only right to pay tribute to him and his family this fight.”
Owens faced a tough Romanian opponent and tested him throughout the opening two rounds before the fight was stopped in the third — much to the delight of the large Erneside crowd.