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What a difference a year makes for Amy Broadhurst


Amy Broadhurst approaches her second Elite Senior final comfortable in the knowledge that she has improved massively over the past twelve months.

Last year, Broadhurst went into the lightweight final with Kelly Harrington full of confidence but was beaten on a unanimous decision.

Harrington, of course, went on to become World champion but Broadhurst, too, had a big year.

European U22 gold at lightweight was followed by a trip to light welter where she claimed the English Elite title and reached the quarter-finals of the World Championships – only being denied a medal by an extremely controversial decision.

The former underage phenomenon is back in Dublin and feeling better than ever following a year in which she really developed into a top Senior boxer.

“This time, last year I couldn’t sidestep, I couldn’t move on my hook,” she laughs when talking to Irish-Boxing.com

“Tonight, I was doing it like I’ve known it years. I’m improving all the time and, come Saturday, please God, I’ll be ready.”

“Last year, I thought I was ready. You feel good in training and you have that confidence about you – then you get in with someone who’s way more experienced than you, someone who is a woman, and all that confidence just goes to shatters and you think ‘Jesus, I’m not at that standard yet’.”

“I just kept pushing, kept listening to everything that was being told to me, and I tried bringing it on board.”

Broadhurst was speaking after her semi-final win over Intermediate and U22 champ Shauna O’Callaghan – a Dundalk derby that pitted the Dealgan and Clann Naofa clubs against each other.

A competitive contest, Broadhurst notes how “I was expecting a very tough fight going in here. We know each other, we’ve been away to Europeans and everything.”

“I knew that she was strong and I was expecting that sort of fight. She didn’t give up, she just kept going.”

Last night I was eating what I wanted, drinking what I wanted, and I weighed in at 62.1kg. I’m not a 64kg fighter, I saw that at the Worlds, every girl that got in with me was bigger than me but I showed that I was still able to compete with them.

Campaigning here at non-Olympic class of 64kg, Broadhurst will be back down to 60kg for the Euro Under-22s in Russia next month before, she hopes, returning to light welter for the major Senior tournaments later this year to build further experience while Harrington makes a bee-line for the Tokyo Olympics.

That said, the 21-year-old is not overlooking the challenge of Kerry’s Moira McElligott, a former featherweight champ, in the final.

Broadhurst outlined how “I trained alongside her in 2016 but that would be the only time. Whenever she’s been fighting or I’ve been fighting, we’ve congratulated each other, we support each other, she’s a lovely girl and it should be a good fight.”

“I not going to say too much on what’s ahead of me this year because I need to win on Saturday and, if I win, we really will push to get gold in the competitions.”

“My aim is 2024 and I want to get experience all the way up.”

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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