On October 11, 2019, at Grandma’s Sports Garden in Duluth, MN, Amy “Hard Hands” Lemenager will be making her pro debut, where she will be fighting Kayla Brady, after having a successful amateur boxing career.
Before getting into boxing, Amy first began playing hockey when she was only nine years old. In a 2016 interview on Fox 21, she said, “As soon as I stepped on the ice I fell in love with it. I mean hockey, I love it, I wouldn’t do anything else.”
In Amy’s hockey career, she eventually played goalie for her High School varsity team and playing at the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament, which is the dream of all high school kids in the land of hockey.
During this time, she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease- aka hypo-thyroid. Hypo-thyroidism slows a person’s metabolism down and makes it tough to maintain your weight without a serious commitment to diet and exercise. She wanted a way to stay in top shape for hockey, and since her father boxed a little when he was young, she felt it was a good choice.
When she was in 8th grade she joined Lorenzi’s Gym, that is run by former professional Joe Lorenzi and his partner Josh Moore.
She instantly loved it and flourished under both of her coaches, and as she grew older her desire to learn boxing and compete also grew.
Amy won her first eight amateur bouts before splitting matches with Canada’s Taylor Ross from Nova Scotia. She went on to win several more before going to her first national tournament, 2016 Nationals.
She lost a decision to eventual 165 lb. champion Oshae Jones, who took Clarissa Shields spot on team USA after she went pro.
Amy’s father, Paul Lemenager told WBAN, “finding matches began to get more difficult and Amy was looking forward to playing collegiate hockey upon graduating from High School in 2016.”
“Unfortunately, in the spring of that year she suffered a catastrophic mpfl tear in her knee during a post high-school tournament, permanently ending her hockey career. She then concentrated on healing, enrolling in a college close to home while keeping her interest in boxing. She was able to get a few more matches after her rehab, including going to and winning at the USIBA national tournament in 2018.”
“After three more attempts at getting matches and having them pull out the last minute…and graduating from college with a four year degree in criminal justice, she felt it was the right time to take a crack at boxing professionally,” added Paul Lemenager.
During her eight years of competing, Amy has been lucky to visit and train at some of the most storied gyms across the country, parlaying hockey trips and vacations into visits to local gyms, i.e., Gleason’s, Peter Welch’s, Morris Park, Waco Boxing, Sam Colonna’s, Bancroft Gym, K.C.’s Authentic, Everybody Fights, and a good percentage of the gyms in Minnesota.
Amy is currently enrolled in the Police Academy in her hometown of Duluth, and will be pursuing a career in law enforcement while continuing to hone her skills in the sweet science.
Amy salutes all those pioneers who came before her and those who have helped her along the way.
She is thankful to be involved in the sport as it experiences renewed exposure and more participation from young women.
“You don’t reach the top of your sport without standing on the shoulders of those who came before you.” Billie Jean King
WBAN is looking forward to following this up and coming boxer, and will keep boxing fans updated on her!
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