‘Over the moon’ is how young boxer Emma Dolan feels after making history.
The 24-year-old from Dereham, has become the first holder of the female super flyweight Commonwealth title, after beating Halima Vunjabei in a fight at Newark Showground.
The boxer, who attended Dereham Neatherd High School and relocated to Nottinghamshire last year, said: “It felt like it was making history a little bit.
“It still hasn’t properly sunk in yet, and I don’t think it will sink in until I finish boxing in years to come.
“Once you’re on the journey, you can’t get sidetracked with achievements because this isn’t the end goal.
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“This is only the start of where I want to go and where I want to be, but it is a move in the right direction.”
It was her first fight in nearly a year and followed a step up from six-round fights to ten rounds.
She said she felt “a bit achy” after the fight, but handled the encounter against her opponent, from Tanzania, well.
She added: “I went the distance, felt fine and I enjoyed it. She was in the fight all the time and I had to be alert.”
The three judges scored the fight 97-94, 97-93 and 98-92.
She relocated after searching for a new gym and finding Carl Greaves, owner of Carl Greaves Boxing Promotions.
She said: “I met Carl and got on really well with him so I decided to make the move to Newark. Everybody’s made me feel relay welcome and at home here.”
She said her goal for this year would be to take part in more fights and defend the title, and move forward toward a European title fight.
And she said that although was still young and “not in a massive rush”, she was not about to rest on her laurels.
She added: “I’ll be back in the gym soon and working towards the next goal. You're constantly moving forward, like a shark, you can’t stop and enjoy what you’ve done.”
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