Rhiannon Dixon: “There was no hesitation in accepting the fight. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is what you are in the sport for.”

Rhiannon Dixon: “There was no hesitation in accepting the fight. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is what you are in the sport for.”

It was once an unlikely scenario. The former white-collar fighter with no amateur experience to her name, who only started boxing when she was in her early twenties, wasn’t expected to go far in the sport. A sport that was just a hobby to her. A pharmacist by trade. Boxing was just there in the background. Playing second fiddle to her day job. But slowly, things started to change.

Rhiannon Dixon has completely changed her life in recent years. The unbeaten Warrington lightweight is now a full-time boxer. Her days working the wards at the Whiston NHS Hospital are now a thing of the past. At least for now. The one-time hobby is now very much her passion. Nine fights. Nine wins have seen Dixon catapulted to the upper echelons of her sport. 2023 ended with Commonwealth and European titles on her resume. 2024 was always likely to bring her a shot at a world title. But Dixon told me over Zoom that the world title fight she has landed in Manchester on April 13th has still come around a little quicker than even she thought it would. But Dixon had no second thoughts about taking the fight so soon in her professional career.

“It’s come around really quickly. We thought we would defend the European title in December or early January. But then this opportunity came about. There was no hesitation in accepting the fight. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is what you are in the sport for.”

Dixon will fight the once-beaten former world title challenger Karen Elizabeth Carabajal of Argentina for the vacant WBO lightweight title, in the very same arena where she made her Matchroom debut in 2021.

“Who would even think about me ever fighting for a world title. I have come from white-collar, and everyone used to crap on my performances. And now I am fighting for a world title.” Dixon told me. A fighter reflecting on the incredible trajectory of her career.

But despite where she is, and crucially, where she is still yet to go, Dixon doesn’t want to lose her humble white-collar reference from her narrative.

“I’m keeping the white-collar tag forever, so everyone knows I am about it,” the Warrington lightweight told FightPost. “It is a part of my story. I’m not actually ashamed of it. The progression that I have made. A lot of these girls have been boxing their whole lives, but I have only been boxing for a few years, and I started at a white-collar gym and not a reputable boxing gym. So from where I started to where I am now, I know people will try and use it as an insult, but it shows everyone just how fast I am learning.

“But it’s still a little crazy. Everyone gets into boxing and says that they are going to the Olympics or win a world title. But I was going to university to become a pharmacist when I first started boxing. That was what I was focussing on. But when I had my debut, people started saying I was really good. But it was then just a hobby. But then it started getting more serious, and it got to a point where if I wanted to take it further, I had to stop being a pharmacist. But now I am reaping all those awards for the time and training I have put in. But now I feel that I have sneaked up on everyone.”

There was talk that Dixon would fight Caroline Dubois for the IBF lightweight title, that Katie Taylor vacated, but FightPost is of the understanding that the WBO opportunity was on the table before the IBF mandatory situation was even on offer. But the decision to go down the WBO route makes perfect business sense. For all parties. Dubois will still likely fight for the vacant IBF bauble, and if Dubois and Dixon both leave the early part of 2024 with a world title on their resume, an even bigger all-British world title unification showdown could take place later this year. A fact not lost on the Anthony Crolla-trained fighter.

“We will meet down the line anyway. Everyone is saying a domestic fight will be great, but I think it will be a bigger and better fight in the long term, and more people will be interested in watching it. I think it works out better for everyone.”

The size of the task against Carabajal isn’t daunting Dixon. The Argentine is another step up from her previous opponents, but Dixon has always believed that the better the opponent, the better she will perform. Something we witnessed in her impressive, almost flawless display against Katherine Thanderz last time out. A performance that earned Dixon the vacant European title.

“I am confident of winning. I feel like with every opponent, it will be a step up. When I fought Thanderz, some people said it was too far. But I knew it definitely wasn’t. My team really put me through it, so come the actual fight. It doesn’t feel that bad because I go through much worse in training. I feel that is showing in my performances now.” 

The inauspicious beginnings have now given way to a career and a fighter who could be something special. There is the infectious personality that the masses have yet to see in full bloom. But it is the skills inside the ring that have developed beyond all expectations in recent years. Come April, the white-collar label looks set to be replaced by Rhiannon Dixon, the WBO lightweight champion of the world.

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing