Hannah Robinson Impresses On Her Long-Awaited Professional Debut

Hannah Robinson Impresses On Her Long-Awaited Professional Debut

It was, in many ways, the perfect professional debut for Hannah Robinson on Saturday night at the Rainton Arena.

The Czech import Johana Rochl came to fight and not spoil, and Robinson was made to work for her maiden professional victory. An awkward rough and tumble southpaw, Rochl was the ideal foil for the long-awaited debut of the former two-time National Champion. An elite Team GB amateur, big things are quite rightly expected of the now 1-0 super-lightweight prospect.

Robinson turned over last year, but a lingering back injury delayed her debut until last night on the latest VIP offering. But it was more than worth the wait. A hometown gig that showed glimpses of what is to come.

The fight went the full six rounds, with Robinson getting her career off with a win courtesy of a dominant 59-56 points victory over the tough and ready Rochl. This observer favoured Robinson by a slightly wider 59-55 with the victor sweeping the first five rounds and only conceding the final round when her opponent bravely emptied the tank in a bid to salvage her night. That desperate late effort left Robinson with blood oozing out of her nose, but it was far too late to change the trajectory of the fight. Rochl gave Robinson problems to solve. Make no mistake, this was no walkover opponent for Robinson. It was an excellent piece of matchmaking.

Robinson started fast, showing her obvious talent and potential. That awkward southpaw style of Rochl saw Robinson catch a few too many punches, but Robinson took them with little drama and built an early lead that was never threatened.

The winner settled down after a frantic start, picking her shots a little better in the second half of the fight as the pace slowed somewhat, and a stoppage victory looked a possibility. Robinson ripped in quality body shots that clearly caused Rochl much discomfort. But she deserves immense credit for staying the course and even more so for that late rally that won her the 6th and final round.

But Robinson got the win and impressed in doing so. An announcement will follow about her immediate fighting future. A big platform that her talent deserves.

It was a long time coming, but Robinson demonstrated perfectly why there was so much hype around her. The ambitions are high. Robinson wants world titles. Nothing we saw last night says those lofty ambitions are not realistic. The Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis stable could quite easily have another world champion on their hands.