Vicky Wilkinson: “I think Rhiannon is a nice boxer, technically very good with good footwork so I think it will be a very good fight.”

Vicky Wilkinson: “I think Rhiannon is a nice boxer, technically very good with good footwork so I think it will be a very good fight.”

It was within the hour of Vicky Wilkinson’s very first public workout that our respective Zoom accounts connected. Just a few days removed from the biggest fight of her career against Warrington’s unbeaten lightweight prospect Rhiannon Dixon live on DAZN on Saturday night, Vicky could see the benefits of that first public workout she told me:

“It gets you used to the cameras and ready for the big stage, so they are quite good. The amount of cameras that were there I have never experienced that before, so I think they are beneficial to do.”

Like many, the introduction to the Nobel Art came by way of kickboxing, an injury to her ankle initiated the switch to boxing:

“I did kickboxing when I was 18 just to keep fit, to be honest, and did that for quite a few years. I started boxing because I had an ankle injury and couldn’t kick.”

After a successful amateur career which included two National titles in the England Development Championships, Vicky turned professional in 2021 with a points victory over Beccy Ferguson. Two further victories over Ferguson including the third late last year that made her the very first female to win a Midlands title. Vicky is 5-0-1 in her professional career but has been restricted somewhat so far, having to fight the same opponent three times. But for Vicky while frustrating to a point, it is something she has taken in her stride:

“Beccy was my first fight and then she asked for a rematch. So I did that on her show. And for the Midlands title fight, I just got told who I was fighting so I had no choice. Nobody wants to keep fighting the same person but it is who they put in front of you. I was meant to fight for the Commonwealth super-featherweight title against Kristine Shergold but that fell through, and the Beccy fight was put in front of me again and I just took it.”

The only blemish on the record is a hotly disputed draw against Shergold last September when the Commonwealth title was on the line. Vicky believed she was robbed of a just victory and denied the prestigious belt:

“It was a hard one to swallow only getting a draw. But at the end of the day, that is what the referee saw and I have to accept it.”

But on Saturday night in Liverpool, Vicky gets a second opportunity to lift that Commonwealth against the talented Anthony Crolla-trained Dixon, who beat comprehensively outpointed Shergold in her last fight in Leeds in December. Vicky is no stranger to the work and talents of her opponent, keeping a close eye on Dixon since she turned professional back in 2019:

“I have seen her fight because I watch a lot of boxing. I watched her when she first started out. I think Rhiannon is a nice boxer, technically very good with good footwork so I think it will be a very good fight.”

Vicky has boxed away from the bright lights of the big shows, but is clearly relishing the opportunity on Saturday night despite the unflattering odds that suggest a win is unlikely and she sees the fight far closer than the odds would suggest:

“I’m definitely excited it is a great platform and it is everything I have wanted, to get seen on such a good platform. And when it came up I grabbed it with both hands. I believe it is a 50/50 fight. I have seen the odds, but they are what they are. I think I am being overlooked but we will see on Saturday night.”

With a career outside of boxing, Vicky knows even a win and a Commonwealth title will not mean a full-time switch to the sport:

“I don’t think a win changes anything for me. It will be nice to be recognised and not be a nobody. But it won’t change my career, because I have a career outside of boxing and I will never be a full-time boxer like a lot of the ladies are. I have been in the British Army for 12 years. I do recruiting and mentoring so I help people with the process of joining the Army.”

Vicky will head to Liverpool on a Matchroom show as the away fighter with the now standard rematch clause inserted into her contract should she upset the odds on Saturday night. But with the likes of Caroline Dubois and Jordan Barker-Porter showing much interest in fighting the winner, there are some potentially very big fights ahead for Vicky if she comes out on top against the home fighter on Saturday night and again in any subsequent rematch:

“There are definitely some big fights ahead. The two girls you just mentioned who want the winner. So whoever wins has got two big fights to come.”

Rhiannon Dixon and Vicky Wilkinson clash for the vacant Commonwealth title in Liverpool live on DAZN.