Stevie Jane Coleman: “I want to be a world champion.”

Stevie Jane Coleman: “I want to be a world champion.”

We haven’t seen Stevie Jane Coleman inside a boxing ring since last April. A very brief appearance at the Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville. An opening-round stoppage victory over Sarah Click. An injury-related absence has kept her out of action since that first-round stoppage win over her fellow American.

“I haven’t been in the ring in a year. I’m coming off an injury, a little thing with my back, but it’s all good now, and I’m ready to go,” Coleman told me over Zoom as her ring return was edging closer and closer.

In the fight before Click, Coleman beat Michaele Nogue by a majority points decision. Nogue will be in the opposite corner when Coleman makes that return on Friday, February 23rd.

“I’m fighting her again, but on another promotion, not my own. They asked me if I wanted to take the fight, and I said yes.” Coleman says of the return fight with Nogue.

In many ways, it’s a new beginning for Coleman. The extended hiatus will be a thing of the past, and her return will be at a new weight and one that the fighter firmly believes we will see the best of her.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to it,” Coleman told FightPost. “I’m definitely looking at having four fights this year. This is my first six-rounder since my pro debut. It’s my first time at 140. So I’m excited about that. I’ve fought at welterweight, and then I went down to lightweight. But I think 140 will be my bread and butter.”

Coleman is ambitious, but equally, she is balanced with her immediate expectations. A limited ten-fight amateur resume, but one that still ended with a winning 7-3 record and two Golden Gloves titles to her name, leaves Coleman with the feeling that she can’t be pushed too hard too soon. Gaining further experience the key to what lies ahead.

“I’m pretty new at the sport, to be honest. I only had ten amateur fights, and then I turned pro. I will leave it up to my team, but I feel as though I am ready for whatever they feel I am for. I am still learning on the job, but I am ready for whatever.”

The introduction to boxing came at an early age. Growing up on a farm, left Coleman isolated somewhat in those early years. A victim of bullying in her teens, but the hard nature of her upbringing brought her to a world that would define her in later years.

“I was always a bit of a mad kid,” Coleman told me. “I had a lot of anxiety, and to top off it, I was bullied at school. Being a farmer, we didn’t have a ton of money, so I got bullied for that. One day, someone was bullying me, so I just hit them. So I kind of used that to get my aggression out, and one thing led to another. I asked my dad to take me to the gym, and now here I am.

“My brothers boxed. They are all older than me. We had a bag upstairs, so I went up there to hit the bag and release some aggression. I didn’t get my first fight until I was seventeen, I won that fight, and I definitely fell in love with the sport after my first fight. I wanted to do it more and more.

The decision to turn professional was in many ways made for her during the hard times of the pandemic. With limited options in the amateur ranks, it made perfect sense for Coleman to test herself in the professional game.

“Covid happened. Everything shut down. I was told I wasn’t sure when I was going to fight again, and my style was more suited to the pros.”

The sport of boxing has allowed Coleman to grow as a person. A release from the anxiety that played a part in those formative teenage years. What boxing has given her isn’t lost on Coleman.

“Boxing has given me a lot,” Coleman says. “It’s given me confidence and discipline and meeting parts of me I wouldn’t have met without boxing.”

While the expectations and ambitions are being tamed a little, at least for now, Coleman (5-1) still has big goals in the sport. At 23, she has time and plenty of it, but she plans to reach the pinnacle of her sport in the coming years.

“I want to be a world champion and do the best that I can. But, as of right now, I want to learn as much as I can. I want to be a better fighter than I was yesterday. But my aspirations are to get some belts and become a world champion.”