Tysie Gallagher: “In my mind I’ve pictured having my hand raised and getting that belt around me, and it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.”

Tysie Gallagher: “In my mind I’ve pictured having my hand raised and getting that belt around me, and it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.”

By Matt Elliott

Tysie Gallagher and Stevi Levy are on the cusp of making history. On May 24th they meet at the York Hall in London and when the final bell rings, one of them will become the first-ever female Super Bantamweight British champion.

Both women have already had the taste of success at 122lbs. Gallagher is the reigning Commonwealth champion, a title she won last April with a victory against Lisa Whiteside, and a belt she will defend for the first time in this fight. Levy claimed her gold last time out, taking a majority decision over Dorota Norek to become the new EBU European Silver champion. This one is extra special though. Female British titles are a relatively new concept, and to become the first holder of the belt at your respective weight is something that will go down in the record books. 

As the fight edges closer, I caught up with Gallagher via Zoom this past week, as she entered the final week of preparation, and began by asking her how camp had gone.

“It’s gone really well. We are moving into the last week now and I am at the stage where I’m ready to fight, so I just want time to hurry up really. I’ve had some really good sparring, and we’ve tried to get the right type of people in to replicate Stevi’s style as well, so I can’t complain about the preparation, it’s been as good as it can be. I’ll have my two final spars and my last hard training session, and then it’s a case of easing off, doing the media commitments, and making weight. It’s come around really quickly though. It wasn’t long ago I had six or seven weeks of preparation ahead of me and now it’s almost here.”

One of the key components of any training camp is to look at your opponent’s style and then try to find a sparring partner who replicates that, to ensure you have the best possible preparation. Levy is known for her relentless style, but she has shown technical improvements in her most recent fights. With that in mind, what version of Stevi Levy has Gallagher prepared for?

“She does have an aggressive style, but recently she has started to box as well, so it’s hard to say how she’s going to start the fight, and whether she’ll box or come forward; either way though I feel like I am ready for it. If she comes to box, I feel like I will be able to outbox her, and if she comes to fight, I feel like we’ve prepared well enough for that, and I will be able to deal with whatever she brings. That’s no disrespect to Stevi though, because if I switch off, I am going to know about it. I’m not going into this fight thinking it’s going to be an easy night’s work or that it’ll be a breeze, not at all, no way. I’ve got to be switched on for every single round if I’m going to bring that belt home.”  

Following the official announcement of the fight, the two have yet to go head-to-head, with Levy unable to be present at GBM Sports’ media day in late April, but that hasn’t prevented an exchange of words taking place. In an interview with Izzy Asif, Gallagher commented that she was a level above her opponent, which prompted an angry reaction from Levy. Does this mean we are in for some fireworks as Fight Wek approaches?

“Look, if Stevi brings it then maybe, but I’m not bothered about stuff like that, I’m really not. Even the way she took my comments, I was really surprised because she took what I was saying the wrong way. She took a little clip that was out of context and took it all the wrong way and look, I’ve been nothing but respectful, I don’t care about that side of things, I’m just focusing on the fight and what I’ve got to do, but it seems like I did get into her head a little bit, so if she brings that energy it will be reciprocated but yeah, I’m just focussing on the fight.”

Circling back to the British title being on the line, I wondered how special it was to be involved in such an occasion and how it feels to have the opportunity to become the first-ever holder of the belt. 

“It’s unbelievable, honestly. The British title is such a prestigious belt and the amount of people who win that belt and say how much it means to them and now it’s literally in touching distance for me, and the fact it’s the first ever one at my weight makes it even more special. I just can’t wait. It’s going to be a really good night, and, in my mind, I’ve pictured having my hand raised and getting that belt around me and it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.” 

Gallagher has had a rollercoaster two and a half years since her professional debut back in October 2021. She has fought for the Commonwealth title twice, missing out to Nina Hughes in July 2022 before claiming the belt against Lisa Whiteside nine months later. She then suffered a majority decision defeat to the then WBO world champion Segolene Lefebvre last November, and now competes for the inaugural British title. If someone had asked her to map out her first ten fights, she admits she couldn’t have dreamt it would have delivered so much, so soon. On those two defeats, is she now able to look back on them with a sense of pride at how far she pushed her opponents, both of whom have held world titles.

“Even since the amateurs I’ve always wanted to box the best, be in there with the best and whether I win, lose, or draw, I want to be mixing up at the top because I feel like that’s where you’ll see the best version of me, and it’s proven to be the case so far. I have the two defeats; the Nina Hughes one I can’t really argue with it, it was close, that’s why I wanted the rematch, because it was so close, but with the world title fight I don’t know how I lost it, even watching it back I don’t know how I didn’t get the decision. I was gutted not to bring the belt home, but in terms of my performance, and up at that level, it was unbelievable, the experience was invaluable, and I’ve taken a lot from it, from fighting these top opponents. It builds and builds and provides the platform for the next thing to happen, and now the next thing is the British title.”

Having had the taste of a world title fight, it would only be natural to want to be back at the top table. Assuming she’s successful against Levy, how quickly does Gallagher think that opportunity may present itself?

“I’m not looking past the 24th but I hope to just get straight back into the mix. If I have to defend the British, then obviously I’m happy to do that and see what happens, but in boxing, things can change quickly. The end goal is absolutely to become a world champion but how I get there is just whatever happens. I am open to any opportunities, and I will always be ready for the next big chance. I want to win a world title, so I need to beat Stevi to be able to do that and get back onto the world scene.”

The major titles at Super Bantamweight are currently split between Ellie Scotney, Erika Cruz, and Yamileth Mercado. With Scotney and Cruz signed to Matchroom, there is the potential that unification fights may limit opportunities for Gallagher in the short term. If that proves to be the case, would she consider following the path of many other females and moving across the weight divisions?

“Yeah, I’d be happy to do that. Right now, I could go between Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight, until my weight naturally goes up, but I make weight really comfortably, so I want to do what I need to do at 122lbs, but if any opportunities came up at 118lbs then I would snatch them up. We’ve tried in the past, but it just hasn’t worked out for whatever reason, but it’s something I’d consider.”

I finished off where we started, with that clash for the British title. The fight will be broadcast on TalkSport’s YouTube channel and that will give Gallagher a platform on which to showcase her skills, with many of her fights to date having not been widely available. She will also be supported, as always, by a strong following and you just feel it has all the ingredients to be a fantastic night.

“As I said before, I just can’t wait. My support is unreal, and it helps massively. Stevi has a lot of support as well, so York Hall will be bouncing come fight night.” 

Photo Credit: Andrew Colebrook/Pugshoot