Emma-Sue Greentree: “Boxing gives me structure, discipline, and excitement. It makes me feel like I can achieve anything.”

Emma-Sue Greentree: “Boxing gives me structure, discipline, and excitement. It makes me feel like I can achieve anything.”

It’s been nearly two years since I caught up with Emma-Sue Greentree. The Australian had recently brought home a bronze medal from the World Amateur Championships. A relatively unknown fighter prior. Australia, no stranger to talent in the female ranks, suddenly had another potential star.

Greentree came into the sport from the world of track and field. The former athlete found something in boxing that wasn’t in her life before. Greentree had also dabbled in rugby. Sport was very much in the family. But nine siblings brought plenty of competition in itself. Her sister Belinda Wright had an Olympic medal in softball. Greentree wanted to emulate that achievement.

The chase for Olympic honours is still ongoing. Greentree has recently moved a little step closer to competing on the Olympic stage. The Australian had previously won a National title at 81kg, but she is now a two-time and two-weight National Champion after winning national honours again in Canberra last month.

“It feels amazing, actually,” Greentree told me. “I have worked so hard for this moment. Yes, I was a National champ at 81kg, but to be the 75kg national champion is a different sort of achievement as it means I am one step closer to my dream of competing at the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.”

A lot has changed since I last spoke to Emma-Sue Greentree.

“It has been great,” Greentree told me of the time since our last interview. “Lots of changes have happened. I went to America and Papua New Guinea earlier this year to box and was at the 75kg weight division, which was cool to experience that division internationally.

“I also had my professional debut against a really tough opponent, and that has put me at #3 in the light-heavyweight rankings on Boxrec. I even had Claressa Shields reply to one of my stories so that too, was a bit of a starstruck moment even though she said I would be ‘another meal.’

Greentree made that maiden professional ring walk in September winning every round in a six-round contest against Stephanie Mfongwot. 

“It was an experience,” Greentree says of her winning professional debut. “The professional scene is a lot different from the amateurs when starting out. I had to make sure we were getting sponsors, selling tickets, and promoting myself. It was a lot of work on top of the training and making sure that I made weight. I have an amazing team, though, that made sure my head could focus mostly on the training.

“The fight itself was unreal. The atmosphere was incredible, and the support I had was nothing short of amazing! I won all six rounds on all the judges’ cards.

“As you may remember, I am a Type 1 Diabetic and that was actually my biggest hurdle in that fight. My blood levels were extremely high going into the ring, and there was not much I could do. I had a dose of insulin. However, with adrenaline and the time it takes for it to kick in, nothing was going to change. I was around 20.0 going in, and the normal levels that are recommended are 5.0-6.0. So yeah, it was high!

“In the fight, after the first round, my coach looked at me, and he said it was like talking to a brick wall. I was listening but not responding very well. However, I made the adjustments I needed for each round. Robbo said he looked at my partner with a ‘what the ….’ To which my partner thought I was low, he had a look at his phone which is connected to my continuous glucose monitor and replied ‘oh …. She’s really high.’

“Apart from that, I loved every minute of it. From the first real punch that connected with my head and no headgear was like, “Oh damn this is real!” To then myself landing punches with smaller gloves! It was surreal. I can’t wait for the next one.”

Greentree is looking at chasing amateur and professional success at the same time. “It will take a lot of organising, but I will absolutely make it work hand in hand. Many boxers have done it, so why can’t I? We just have to look at the calendar year for the amateurs and see where we can fit it in. The Commonwealth Games and the Olympics are very much on my radar still. I have to one-up my sister still. Her Olympic bronze in softball is great but sibling rivalry is strong and I have to up that.”

The daily schedule is relentless, Greentree relayed to me. “I am a teacher’s aide (SLSO), so I work full-time during the school year. I tend to train in the morning at 5am and then again in the evening at 5pm. I also try to get as many steps in during the day as possible, so I often go for a walk after dinner, especially in the summer, because the sun doesn’t set until around 8pm.”

It is an unforgiving schedule. But it works for Emma-Sue Greentree. At 25, she is a fighter with her whole fighting future ahead of her, in a sport that gives her so much.

“Boxing gives me structure, discipline, and excitement. It makes me feel like I can achieve anything, and I believe that. It is such a mentally draining sport, especially when cutting weight, but the feeling after a fight is something you don’t get unless you box. It is such a cool feeling. I feel like there’s mutual respect between both fighters in the ring, and I can’t really explain how good it makes me feel. The physicality of the sport gives me a feeling that I have achieved something after every session and/or fight. I love the challenge and the feeling of hard work.”