Stafford girl reflects on historic title

Stafford's Sophie Stewart admitted she had to "give everything" to become the town's first female amateur boxing national champion.

Stewart lifted the ABA Juniors flyweight title in Class B - boxers born in 1995 - at the Manchester Boxing Centre of Excellence on Saturday.

To do so, the 16-year-old had to overcome Gervan Smith, from the Steel City ABC in Sheffield, with the two paired in the final of the same competition last season.

Smith broke Stewart's heart that time without throwing a punch by pulling out at short notice with a hamstring injury, leaving the category to be declared vacant.

But there was no stopping the two this time, as they finally went toe-to-toe in an exciting three-round bout to decide who was the better boxer.

Neither fighter was prepared to give any ground and, after the first round, they were still all square at 11 points each.

In the second round, Stewart worked behind her jab and scored regularly with shots to the head to go one point up, 24-23, by the end of the session.

In the last round, the 4ft 10in 'Pocket Rocket' came out strongly, knowing the title was up for grabs, and forced a standing eight count on her opponent with a barrage of strong right hands.

Finishing the fight with a flourish played a huge part in Stewart having her hand raised at the final bell in a high-scoring contest, by 42-39 on points.

Natasha Jonas, the lightweight Olympic hopeful for London 2012, presented the gold medal and, despite sporting a black eye, the teenager from Yarnfield felt on top of the world.

She said: "I gave everything I had in there and I was so determined to win.

"My opponent was strong and I give her credit for making it a great bout to watch, but it's a fantastic feeling being a national champion."

Stewart also coaches for her amateur club, Stafford Town ABC, and has helped tackle youth crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.

Adult criminal offenders and people with mental health, drug and alcohol issues have all benefitted from boxing and working with Stewart in the gym.

Now comes a rest over Christmas before she starts training again in the New Year, working towards a possible Stafford club show in March.

Her coach, Andy Whitehall, said: "Sophie is extremely dedicated, the fact that she achieved something no other Staffordshire female has, is a credit to the effort and commitment she puts in.

"She is a great example to any aspiring boxer, female or male, of how one should train."