Ginny Fuchs: “I want to get that belt from Marlen (Esparza), she’s been a rival since the amateurs.”

Ginny Fuchs: “I want to get that belt from Marlen (Esparza), she’s been a rival since the amateurs.”

By Lewie Laing

On Saturday night, American, Ginny Fuchs (1-0) will face Gemma Ruegg at the 02 Arena in London, as part of a historic event for boxing topped with the middleweight undisputed fight between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall. This fight is one of eleven fights on the groundbreaking, all-women card live on Sky Sports.

The postponement of this event in September due to the sad passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, meant fans and fighters alike, would have to wait a little while longer for this historic fight night. For Ginny Fuchs, the extra time was both a help and a hindrance. Her debut was back in April meaning by the time she steps foot in the ring on Saturday night, she will have been out of the ring for six months.

However, Fuchs feels stronger now than four weeks ago and knows that with no promotional company currently working with her, this is a chance she will not let slip.

“Camp has been good. It’s been a long camp, with the fight getting postponed but being honest, I feel stronger now, I feel more ready now, and I feel great. It’s been a twelve, thirteen weak camp, I know I’ve done all I can, everything fell into place perfectly, and I’m ready.

“It was not the plan to go six months between my debut and this fight. The issue is, I’m not signed by anyone. I’ve been working with Top Rank, Mikaela (Mayer) has helped with getting me on this card too, but I’m not signed with them. I think that’s a reason why it’s taken time to get a fight, because I don’t have a promotional company but I’m hoping after this fight, more people will see me and more opportunities will come. Getting signed following this fight is my main goal right now.”

Fuchs has turned pro on the back of an impressive amateur career in which she won the American Women’s Nations championship three years in a row, the National Golden Gloves title, and a bronze medal at the AIBA world championship in India in 2018.

Fuch represented America at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021), losing in the round of 16. Fuchs knows she has helped pave the way for young boxers now coming through and is looking forward to continuing to lead the way in the professional ranks.

The sport of boxing has a way of drawing you in, and not letting go, and Fuchs is one of many to be consumed by this brutally beautiful sport. For the hours of blood, sweat and tears given by those who don the gloves, boxing in return, shows us who we really are, and what we are truly capable of. 

For Fuchs, what started as a harmless trip to the boxing gym to watch her partner train, now has her on the verge of playing her part in one of, if not the biggest night in women’s boxing history. 

“I started late, I was around 21 when I first stepped foot in a boxing gym. I was a big runner in college but got into trouble and was kicked off the team. I ended up dating a boxer in college and used to watch him train. He took me to his amateur club where he started. I went there, the first day, I fell in love with boxing and was good at it. The coach saw something in me and said I could get somewhere if I stuck at it and that was it. I made it a goal from then, to go pro and be a world champion.

“I feel like I’ve been one of the pioneers of women’s boxing. I qualified for the first-ever Olympic trials for women’s boxing in history. I won the second one for the 2016 Olympics. Competing in the third Olympics for women’s boxing ever, it’s special. The women’s game has been growing and changing so much, the purse, the competition, the events, that’s why turning pro now is the right time for me. It’s an honour to be a part of history in the amateurs and in the professional game.”

There is something special about boxing and UK fight fans, an atmosphere unlike anywhere else. Ginny Fuchs is looking forward to experiencing the crowd first-hand at the 02, for what is a stacked card of high calibre talent. Fuchs may be fighting earlier in the night than the main event many have bought tickets for, but knows that the UK fight fans are there in numbers from the opening bell of the evening and believes they could play a part in her performance.

“This is an all-female card, two world title fights, unification, a card full of world champions and Olympians. It’s very exciting. A lot of eyes will be watching, I can’t wait. I think everyone will be impressed with every fight on this card, which can only do women’s boxing well, people will want to see more of us. 

“People in the UK come to watch the fights from start to finish, they watch the undercard, so the place will be full, I’m so excited about that and to showcase my skills. I think the crowd will add more fire into me to perform better, the crowd will excite me even more.”

Women’s boxing has caught fire over the last couple of years, largely because the best fight the best with no games being played. There does not seem to be the same level of controlling bravado from champions when challengers come calling. A smaller pool of fighters does help this but ultimately, the big important fighters get made at the right time, look no further to the main and co-main events of Saturday’s card as proof of this. Two world championship fights, showing four world champion boxers all in their prime, two fights that fans want to see now, not in five years’ time after countless back and forth, empty jibes, and a long list of excuses from either side. 

Fuchs is not hanging around when it comes to getting straight down to business, already targeting certain fighters. An accomplished amateur, confident in her style and experience, ready to take world title opportunities at any weight from flyweight up to bantamweight. She plans on moving fast, using Saturday night’s platform to open the doors necessary on her path to success.

“I’m on the fast track, I don’t need 10 or 15 fights, around 5 fights and I’ll be ready for a world title shot. I’m fighting at super-flyweight on Saturday, but I’ll go back down to flyweight, I want to get that belt from Marlen (Esparza), she’s been a rival since the amateurs, then hopefully become a unified champ. If I have to move up to get fights I will, as I have for this fight on Saturday. 

“I am not scared to fight anyone and I want to fight the best. That is one of the biggest differences compared to the men, We’re not hesitant to fight the best, we don’t play that waiting game, We’re ready and will fight. I’ve already spoken about going up to bantamweight, Ebanie Bridges is a fight I would love, she has a belt and a big fanbase. I certainly want to fight in that division. I say I’ll start at flyweight, but I may start at super-fly, whatever gets me to a world title fight sooner is what I will take. Once I get one belt, I want to unify and move divisions and get new challenges.”

There are people who view boxing as a sport of being punched in the face and not much else. However, for the many of us who have experienced life inside boxing gyms and inside of the ropes, we know that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Boxing has a way of giving confidence to the shy, discipline to those on the wrong path, and a sense of belonging to anyone who may be alone and lost. It is a sport that saves more than it takes and helps as much mentally as it does physically on all who part take.

Ginny Fuchs is a shining example of someone who has struggled in life due to OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), and only boxing has been enough to keep that under control. It may have taken her 21 years to find boxing, but it couldn’t have come soon enough.

“I suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, I did a documentary with Oprah and Prince Harry, I was very open about this disorder I’ve struggled with all my life. Boxing is my therapy because it’s such a passion of mine, it’s helped me push forward and drives me.

“Sport helps a lot of people and changes lives every day but there is something about boxing, in particular, it does amazing things for people, it huge impact on people’s lives in a different way to other sports. If I didn’t have boxing, I’d be afraid my OCD would take control of my life a whole lot more, I’d be in a different place in my life without boxing.”

While Deontay Wilder makes his return to the heavyweight fold against the overmatched veteran Robert Helenius, and Devin Haney goes up against George Kambosos Jr. in a rematch we don’t really need following Haneys one-sided points win earlier this year, do not let narrative and hype divert your attention away from the stellar night of boxing taking place at London’s 02 Arena, a night in which the women may just show the world how it’s done.