Rhiannon Dixon: Aiming For Commonwealth Glory

Rhiannon Dixon: Aiming For Commonwealth Glory

The story of Warrington’s Rhiannon Dixon is a remarkable one in many ways. The punching pharmacist and former White-Collar fighter boxed on Channel Five on her professional debut scoring a knockdown in the opening seconds and was picked up by Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing in the embryonic stages of her professional career, and this Saturday in Liverpool, the unbeaten lightweight prospect bids for her first professional title. An unlikely story has now developed into something more. Much more.

The Commonwealth title will be on the line when she faces Vicky Wilkinson, and the talented and fast-improving Dixon will look to take her career to new heights and hand Wilkinson her first career defeat in the process.

Dixon has gone under the radar somewhat in her career so far, and in some ways, that has done her many favours in learning her craft away from the glare of at least some of the fickle and judgemental boxing fanbase. But the fight with Wilkinson moves her further up the card, and the boxing ladder. A win takes her career to another dimension. The likes of Caroline Dubois and Jordan Barker-Porter have already shown an interest in fighting the winner. A win will make Dixon a wanted woman. The profile of the Warrington fighter will be raised substantially if she wakes up Sunday morning with a Commonwealth title around her waist. In truth, not before time.

The improvements in recent times have been steady but noticeable, especially in her last fight in Leeds in December against the tough Kristine Shergold. Dixon served up her best performance to date in outpointing Shergold. Make no mistake, Dixon was seriously impressive that night in her first eight-rounder. The extra minutes allowed her time to demonstrate her ever-improving skills and boxing IQ.

The move to the former world champion Anthony Crolla at the height of lockdown has given Dixon what she needs. The importance of that move shouldn’t be underestimated. Crolla firmly believes he has something special on his hands. From what we have seen so far in Dixon’s seven professional fights, he might be right.

I have labelled Dixon one of British boxing’s best-kept secrets, and there is that feeling that she should be more well-known to the boxing fraternity. The lack of interviews with the major YouTube media outlets is a thing of mystery. Dixon is funny and a natural in front of a camera. It seems a missed opportunity on both sides. Winning her first professional title on Saturday night will surely change many things on that front. The Rhiannon Dixon push should begin. If you have something, sell it.

Nothing is guaranteed in boxing, and Wilkinson can change her career with a victory in Liverpool’s famous old arena. But Dixon is heavily favoured to inflict that first defeat on Wilkinson and win the Commonwealth title in that fighting city. On form, those odds do not seem misplaced.