“Mad Bitch” Lynn Harvey demanded a tough return

Lynn Harvey wasn’t worried about demanding a tough test on her return to the ring because she has full confidence in the ‘mad bitch’ that is ‘fight Lynn’.

‘The Hunter’ ends a 17-month ring absence when she trades leather on the aptly named ‘Rise Again’ card in Tallaght tonight.

Assassin Promotions, who are in talks to sign up the popular flyweight, wanted the Kilbarrack native to take on a puncher with over 90 losses on her record. The promoters were looking to ease Harvey back against a survival specialist – a foe that had been stopped just four times – that would guaranteed rounds.

The notion made sense to the returning ticket seller but, quite admirably, she couldn’t accept fighting an opponent that wasn’t coming to the National Basketball Arena to win.

Harvey stresses she couldn’t sell tickets knowing her opponent’s sole goal was to see the final bell.

Harvey will now face Kitti Kolompar [1(1)-4(2)], whose record doesn’t make for sensational reading, but is a fighter the former National Elite Champion believes will come to win.

“There was a bit of conflict about this,” the straight talker told Irish-boxing.com after she weighed in.

“They had a journeywoman for me. Now the reason the picked her was because she had gone the distance with some good fighters plus she had 90 fights and was only ever stopped four times. So they wanted her because it was a good chance she would bring me six rounds.”

“I understand that, I just didn’t want to be fighting a journey woman. They explained the reasoning. To some degree it makes sense, but I just can’t fight against someone who isn’t coming to win,” Harvey added before explaining an admirable viewpoint that should impress fans if frustrate managers and promoters.

“The idea of just being in there with someone looking to survive and only survive it doesn’t sit right with me, especially if people are coming to see me, pay to see me. They said she moves around a lot, blocks a lot and I said that sounds like the worst, most boring, fight I could have.”

“I wouldn’t have the heart to do that. I told them I want a genuine fight with someone who is trying to win.”

After such an absence, most fighters would welcome a routine return. Indeed some might request an opponent whose sole purpose is to lubricate the ring rust.

However, Harvey is different and points out her alter ego – ‘Fight Lynn’ – means she never has to be concerned.

“I feel confident. I don’t see anyone coming and beating me tomorrow night. I feel like I am going to do it and once my head is good there is very little to worry about.”

“That’s real Lynn sitting here talking, now fight Lynn is a mad bitch I don’t worry about her. That Lynn doesn’t give a shit it’s like she is a different person to me she even makes different faces to me, so I am not worried.”

Harvey, who has done tickets but due to a cousins wedding and some family commitments for her loyalist of supporters won’t have the crowd she would like, fights for the first time under the guidance of Steven O’Rourke.

The Dubliner claims she is revelling under a strict coach-fighter relationship and is enjoying life in St Michael’s Gym in Inchicore.

“Working with Steven is perfect for me. I didn’t know Steven before but I’ll put it this way, I was always kind of friends with my coaches before. Now, I get on with Steven, of course, but he is just my coach and it really suits me,” Harvey continued.

“Everyone in the gym gets on, even the first day I arrived and I pulled up outside the gym Victor [Rabei] gave me a big hug. Now I had never meet Victor before and he was there waiting outside the car to give me a hug – that’s him all over and it’s kind of how the gym is. The first week I was there I just fitted in. ”

The Rise Again card marks the return of Harvey and she explains it’s step one of a journey she hopes leads to her celebrating European success by next Summer.

“I am confident I will win but I hope I go a few rounds, if it ends early then I will be open to someone who will take me six rounds even if she only cares about surviving, but maybe do that in England. I just don’t want people paying to see that.

“The plan is this one then I think one in November then a Celtic title fight in December, they have the opponent picked out for that one already, and I want the European title by next Summer. Now that’s the short term goal it’s not the dream.”

Photo Credit: Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)