Bree Wright: ‘I will be undisputed. That’s the aim and that’s what I will achieve!’

Bree Wright: ‘I will be undisputed. That’s the aim and that’s what I will achieve!’

By Louis Devereux

Sheffield has long been punching above its weight in terms of the boxing talent it produces. The Steel City has churned out all-time greats, world champions, European champions, British champions, and everything in between, but there is one legacy still yet to be forged. Sheffield has never produced a female boxing champion, and looking to change that is Sheffield’s first female professional boxer, Bree Wright. Bree is currently 3-0 in the professional ranks and believes that she will be the trailblazer for female boxing in Sheffield. Her last fight took place a few weeks ago in Rotherham on the undercard of Reece Mould and Hamed Ghaz. Bree fought Belgian champion, Joyce Van Ee, and won the fight convincingly on a wide decision. Reflecting back on the fight, Bree found that there were both positives and negatives to take from her performance.

‘There’s definitely room for improvement defence-wise, and there were a couple of tweaks I want to improve on with my footwork, but overall, it was a dominant performance and I was pleased with it. When you watch it back you’ll always find things you want to fix because no fighter is ever perfect, but I was generally happy with how I did, and I’m looking forward to improving and getting better.’

Bree, like many prospects from Yorkshire, is signed with Izzy Asif’s up-and-coming promotional company, GBM Sports. GBM has caught the attention of the boxing world, and seems to be taking small hall shows to the next level.

‘The show was unbelievable. Unbelievable. It was like being on a big show. The weigh-in on the stage, the lights, the whole atmosphere. Even small details like having your name on the dressing room door make all the difference.’

Though relatively new to the professional game, Bree has already made waves and has caught the attention of the elites of women’s boxing. Several times now, Bree has been invited to spar with former Olympian and current unified world super-welterweight champion, Natasha Jonas.

‘It all came about out of nowhere really, it was my manager that sorted it out. Tasha was fighting a southpaw, and I switch a lot so I ended up sparring southpaw the whole time. It was an amazing experience; Tasha is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met; she’s so down to earth and constantly gives you advice, and doing all she could to help me out. It’s the same with Joe [Gallagher] as well. I wouldn’t say a bad word against him, and they were only ever helpful and welcoming to me.

‘Obviously, it’s a big confidence booster to be holding your own in the ring with a world champion, and then to be invited back so many times is great for me. It tells me that I must be doing something right if I’m getting these big opportunities so early on in my career.’

There is a lot of expectation that comes with being such a highly touted prospect, and when paired with the label of being Sheffield’s first female boxer, the pressure could prove to be immense. I asked Bree how she dealt with such expectations, and whether she ever struggled with them.

‘No. It’s not something that has ever worried me to be honest. I expect more from myself than what anyone else expects from me. I push myself too hard and work too hard to worry about pressure from other people. Obviously I want to please people with my boxing, but the only goals I’m trying to fulfil are my own. I don’t feel pressure from other people’s expectations.

‘I feel like I’m representing Sheffield, 100%. You’ve got some great fighters like Dalton Smith who are absolutely smashing it and obviously some legends from the past, but there aren’t any girls yet so I’d like to put my stamp on Sheffield, representing the girls.

‘I want to be a world champion, of course I do. I feel like if you go into boxing not aiming for the very top then you’re selling yourself short. Why would you want to dedicate your life to something, and put your all into one thing if you didn’t think you could be the best at it? I don’t half arse anything, I train like a maniac and I know I will reach my full potential.’

There is an old adage that states ‘iron sharpens iron’, suggesting that surrounding yourself with the best is a sure fire way to reach the top yourself. If this is the case, then it’s good news for Bree, who trains out of Manor Boxing Academy in Sheffield, home to some of the hottest prospects in British boxing.

‘I train at Manor Boxing Academy, first and foremost, because I’m very close with my coaches and I trust them completely. They were there supporting me through some of the worst parts of my life and I’ve got the utmost respect for them.

‘There are some really special talents in our gym. We’ve got Shakiel Thompson who boxes on Sky, Donte Dixon, Joe Jenkins and Sheldon McDonald. Sam O’ Maison has just joined us too.’

Bree has the talent, the expectation, the hype, and the team around her to go as far as she wants to in boxing. I wrapped up the interview asking her where she saw herself in five years, and her answer was as clear and definitive as you would expect from such a self-assured character.

‘In five years? I will be undisputed. Maybe in two weights, but definitely a world champion. That’s the aim and that’s what I will achieve.’