Chloe Watson is bursting with excitement as she prepares to face Minerva Gutierrez at York Hall tomorrow night.
The Birkenhead boxer, who trains under the former light-welterweight and welterweight world champion Ricky Hatton, will be hoping to secure win number four in the paid ranks - a year on from making her professional debut at 'The home of Boxing'.
Watson returns to the ring after winning on home soil in June in her first six rounder against Fara El Bousairi - and she knows in the shape of Gutierrez she is set to face her toughest test to date.
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“She’s undefeated, and she’ll be coming as the away fighter and wanting to cause an upset and get a big win,” Watson said.
“There’s no defeat on her record, so she’ll only be coming to take another win back to Spain with her, but that’s the approach we like.There’s nothing to take from a fight when your opponent doesn’t necessarily want to win, and they just show up.
“My last fight was very much the same type of fight against someone who wanted to come and win, and it reflects what I said before about taking fights against better opposition who are game.
“I’m going to improve more when they come and want to bring it to me, and I know that I haven’t just won but I’ve done it with a good performance in a fight that excites the fans.”
Before Watson continued: “When I debuted at York Hall in 2021 I had no idea what to expect, I was just taking everything in my stride and trying to soak up everything around me.
“Now I’ve got more experience and had a full year of being a professional in the bank; three wins and four camps later too.
“I’ve gained a lot of knowledge from all the time spent in the gym with Ricky (Hatton) and Blain (Younis) since turning professional too, and from there I’ve now got a path set out for me to become a world champion one day.
“The plan is always to be stepping up in opposition in every fight I take, and to deliver the best Chloe Watson there is come fight night because that’s what people want to see and that’s what I work hard for.
"If I keep doing that, then I’m a happy fighter and I know I’m working well towards my goals.”
Watson was due to fight Mexico’s Nancy Franco on the undercard of Conor Benn vs Chris Eubank at the O2 last month, but the fight was postponed due to Benn’s failed drugs test. Now, though, the 22-year-old is relishing her return to the ring.
“I don’t see any of this as pressure at all, it excites me. I’ve been boxing since I was an 8-year-old, and I’ve put a lot into this sport, but I also know I am not the finished product yet by any means,” she said.
“I am looking to make the necessary steps so, when I am the finished product, I will be achieving everything I’ve set out to achieve.
“I’m striving to reach these goals not just for me but for my coaches and my team as well as there’s a lot of work that goes into this by the people guiding me.”
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