DETROIT – Although Danielle Perkins’ opponent has a world title, Perkins says Che Kenneally doesn’t have experience against truly competitive opposition.
“She’s very high-confidence based on the way that they’ve built her up, which makes sense, because she's never been in a dangerous fight or a dangerous or real situation.” Perkins told BoxingScene on Thursday, three days ahead of challenging Kenneally for the WBA light heavyweight title. “So it’s going to be a shock to her.”
Kenneally, 5-0 (2 KOs), is a 31-year-old from Australia who turned pro in 2023. She won her first two bouts against foes who were making their debuts in the paid ranks. She then won a split decision over the 2-3 Sequita Hemingway and a unanimous decision over Hemingway in their rematch; it should be noted that Hemingway significantly outweighed Kenneally in what BoxRec lists as heavyweight bouts.
In July 2024, in Kenneally’s most recent outing, she stopped the 14-4-3 Angie Paola Rocha to capture the WBA’s vacant belt at 175lbs.
Perkins, 5-1 (2 KOs), is a 43-year-old from Houston who used to play professional basketball overseas. After taking up boxing, she won a bronze medal at heavyweight in the 2018 world championships and the gold in 2019. She turned pro in 2020 and had two bouts, outpointing the 2-0-1 Monika Harrison and knocking out the 1-0 Princess Hairston. Perkins then outpointed Harrison again in 2021 before what became a three-year layoff.
After returning in March 2024, Perkins stopped the 3-2 Timea Nagy, won a unanimous decision over the 2-1 Christianne Fahey, and then lost a unanimous decision to Claressa Shields in February 2025.
Given that Kenneally hasn’t faced high-level foes, what can Perkins look for when preparing for their match?
“You look for tendencies, things that are consistent, their responses to certain things,” Perkins said. “Usually I look at the rhythm of the fighter, the punch count, head movement, if there is any head movement, and [I’m] looking for any kind of glance of athleticism. Those are things that you can watch regardless of who she's fighting, even though she’s not under pressure.
“She does get stressed when there’s a lot of empty space. She’s a long fighter, but she doesn't have any snap to her punch. She does a lot of arm punches, and she's accustomed to fighting people who are typically used to losing. They don't really have much resistance.”
Perkins plans to be the opposite of what Kenneally has faced so far.
“You test them,” she said. “See what their response is to the pressure initially. And if they’re not able to protect themselves, you finish the fight early.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
