Sport
7 September, 2025
‘Princess’ wins national title
CAIRNS boxer Leah Reuben, known in the ring as Princess Leah, fulfilled a long-held dream by claiming the WBC Australasian Super Bantamweight title with a victory over Thailand’s Jittamat Phomta in Brisbane.
“I manifested in my head that I was going to end up with that belt,” Ms Reuben said.
“I pictured it, put in 110 per cent, and made sure it would be mine. And it ended up being mine. I was so happy.”
The fight, scheduled for eight rounds, saw Ms Reuben take control early, sensing the momentum shift in her favour midway.
“By round three or four, I could see my punches were really starting to get to her and she wasn’t handling the pressure,” she said.
“So, I picked it up and ended it in round seven. It was an amazing feeling to know the victory was within my grasp and that I had executed my plan.”
When her hand was raised and the green WBC belt was placed around her waist, Ms Reuben was overwhelmed with joy.
“Oh my gosh, I’m a WBC Australasian champion. The belt is so pretty. I didn’t even unwrap it – I slept with it around my waist the first night,” she said, laughing.
The triumph was the payoff for months of sacrifice and dedication.
Training away from her family in Brisbane and enduring the punishing weight cut were her most significant challenges.
“Being away from family is really tough culturally,” she said.
“And the weight cut, no rice, no bread, dehydrating until weigh-in, it’s all mental. But it’s worth it.”
Ms Reuben credited her team for keeping her focused, including her coaches, strength and conditioning staff, manager and family back home.
She also acknowledged the younger people who look up to her as a role model.
“If I can go fight and win big things, they’ll want to do the same,” she said.
Her journey is far from complete. Reuben already has her sights set on the Australian title, scheduled for October 18 in Brisbane on the Fortitude Show.
Her advice to aspiring fighters is simple but powerful: “Don’t give up in the hard times. Something good always comes out of something bad.”
With her combination of determination, skill, and resilience, Leah Reuben has firmly established herself as one of Australia’s rising boxing stars.
Her WBC Australasian title is not just a personal achievement – it is a statement that she is ready to compete on the world stage and her journey is just beginning.
