Louise Orton: “Having that space has given me back what I needed. I am now going to use everything that has happened to me as fuel and motivation.”

Louise Orton: “Having that space has given me back what I needed. I am now going to use everything that has happened to me as fuel and motivation.”

Life’s been tough for Louise Orton of late. Beyond tough. It could have broken her. It nearly did. Not just in boxing. But in life itself. That life went to a dark place, darker than most will ever know. Existing demons were brought to the surface once again last year. A potential sponsor surfaced. The answer to every struggling fighter’s prayers. Orton thought she had turned a corner. But it was another false dawn.

“He was a registered sex offender, and he was grooming me,” Orton told me last November. The police got involved and it reopened old wounds, and it sent Orton spiralling down a seemingly dark depressing one-way street. But fighters by virtue of their profession, fight. Orton eventually found her fight.

We’ve exchanged messages since our last interview nine months or so ago, I knew things were on the up, yet there was still some trepidation as we connected again over Zoom, and my opening words of, ‘How are you,’ left my mouth.

“Obviously compared to where I was last year, I am so much better now. The year out has done me so much good,” Orton told me. “I went through the continuation of not being able to watch boxing. I couldn’t watch it on TV. I didn’t go on social media, I didn’t want to see other people doing so well and me not getting anywhere. That is no disrespect to them because they deserve to be where they are, but it is frustrating to see people who achieved less than me in the amateurs getting all these opportunities and it was just so frustrating. But the year out did me good. I drank a lot and got fat and just got caught up with all the things I don’t normally get the chance to do when I am in training camp. I think I had about eight fights cancelled, and then I finally had my debut and then all the issues after that. I was in camp a long time, dieting and the rest of it, and there is only so much your body can take, so it did me good to have that break.”

Even before the horrific events of last year, Orton had struggled with repeated fight cancellations, many at late notice. After a successful amateur career, Orton turned professional in 2019, but she had to wait until last March to make her professional debut. But if she thought that winning debut in London would be the end of her troubles, she would be greatly mistaken. I have previously labelled her Britain’s unluckiest fighter and British boxing’s best-kept secret, and Orton told me everything just got on top of her.

“I was physically drained, but more importantly, I was mentally drained as well. It was the constant cancellations of fights, and then there was that guy who said that he was going to sponsor me. He said he was going to pay for my expenses and everything, and then for him to turn out like that left me in a very bad place mentally. I went through that stage of continuing to hate boxing, but after a while, my love for it came back. I got the desire back and the fire back in my belly. If I hadn’t taken that break, I think it would have broken me, and I would never have come back. Having that space has given me back what I needed. I am now going to use everything that has happened to me as fuel and motivation.

“I got very low. Like I said, I was drinking a lot. I turned to drink to block out a lot of things that have happened to me in the past. I went back on antidepressants, and I didn’t want to go out, I didn’t really want to mix with people. Everyone kept asking when am I fighting, and I couldn’t handle it. I just shut myself away, but eventually, I came out of my shell a little bit. But in terms of boxing, I still can’t really watch it now. I don’t want to dwell on it and start comparing myself to other people. I’ve just accepted that people are on a different path than me. We are on the same journey, but a different path, and the more I watch it, the more it frustrates me. I just want to focus on what I’m doing.”

Despite hitting rock bottom in many ways, Orton eventually found her fighting spirit. After those long dark months of despair, it was a routine run that kick-started the comeback of many things.

“I went for a run, and I was listening to Fearless Motivation. They do really good motivational speeches and music. I remember running and listening to it, and something inside me just switched. I just thought I can’t quit, I can’t not do this. In my head, I was thinking I know what I can achieve, don’t give up. Something just clicked on that run.”

Orton is now on the comeback trail. A few weeks of easing back into that old routine before her full-time return at the start of July. She is now a month in, the sparring began in week two, by week three Orton was sparring with the elusive and talented featherweight contender Skye Nicolson who is just a few fights away from a possible fight with Amanda Serrano for the undisputed world featherweight title. The Australian is the perfect fighter to shed all the ring rust Orton accumulated in her time away. Orton has been invited back, a more than encouraging sign. In simple terms, she is getting there.

After being so long in the shadows, Orton doesn’t want to waste any more time. Plans are being laid for her ring return.

“I’m in camp now because I want to be ready for the end of September or early October. I don’t want to be in a situation where I am offered a fight, and I am not ready for it. I’d rather be just ready to go, and I can take a fight with just a few weeks’ notice. I need to move quickly, I am going to give myself another three years in boxing to see what I can do. I need to be making a statement really quickly.”

Very few people deserve a break in the sport more than Louise Orton. The hope is that 2023 is where her luck finally changes. It needs to.