Jerry-Lee Palmer: “I just thought it was time to turn professional. If I didn’t do it, I would probably regret it on my deathbed.”

Jerry-Lee Palmer: “I just thought it was time to turn professional. If I didn’t do it, I would probably regret it on my deathbed.”

The cold damp UK weather was in sharp contrast to what Jerry-Lee Palmer was clearly enjoying as we connected over Zoom. Palmer was back in Tenerife visiting her parents over the Christmas holidays. Back to the place she called home for a lengthy period of her life.

“I was born in the UK, but my parents were living in Tenerife at the time,” Palmer told me. “So when I was about two weeks old, I started living in Tenerife.”

It was during that time in Tenerife that Palmer discovered her love for boxing. “It was always a little thing that me and my dad used to do. We used to watch it together on TV and we had a bag downstairs. I then started to have a few lessons when I was about twelve, and then I met my first coach when I was eighteen. I just fell in love with the sport. My first trainer was very strict, and he said if I wanted to fight, I had to follow X, Y, and Z. So it took around eighteen months to get in the ring. But after that, I just knew I had to pursue it a little bit further.

“I was really into horses. I was horse riding from my teens, that was my first job as well and I fell in love with that. But then boxing took over. The attraction of boxing, even at the start, was the community of it. I was the only girl in there, but I felt like one of the boys. I was accepted into the group that we had. If one person fought, we all fought. We all had to go into camp. That was great to have, that sense of belonging.”

The competitive boxing career of Jerry-Lee Palmer started over in Tenerife. A victory in the 2019 Spanish Championships showed her potential. But because of her British passport, her opportunities in Spain were limited. A move to England followed. Palmer found a trainer in Paul Gilmore, who also gave her a job as a trainer. Boxing for West Warwick ABC Palmer won the Winter Women’s Cup and the Tri-Nations Championship. But after compiling an impressive 20-5 resume, she looked for a new challenge in the professional ranks.

“I turned 30 this year, and I got asked to do the England senior program after winning the Tri-Nations,” Palmer told FightPost. “I also had a few injuries, and I was in the Army Reserves, so I was in the Army Boxing Team for about a year, which was an amazing experience. But it was hardcore full-time training, which I loved and needed, but that comes with the risk of injuries. I had a few niggles and injuries, and I was now 30, so I just thought now is the perfect time to turn professional. I thought I had achieved enough as an amateur. I didn’t think I would make the Olympics or anything like that. So I just thought it was time to turn professional. If I didn’t do it I would probably regret it on my deathbed. I had to give it a go and here we are 1-0 and in 2025 I will have some great opportunities.”

Palmer had her professional debut in November, but it came after an extended period of time away from the ring. “I didn’t want a year off,” Palmer says of that time away. “I finished the season in May 2023 and I then had a good couple of months off. I suffer a bit from Plantar Fasciitis with all the bouncing about on my feet, the running, and the impact, so I just needed some time off my feet. So, around September time, I thought I would give it a go and get back in the gym.

“I had to have laser eye surgery, and you obviously have to give that time to recover. Then I had to go for more tests and then get signed off. Then I had to go for another eye test and then do the rest of the medicals.

“I finally got the all-clear, so Christmas came early for me. I had my pro debut virtually on my home doorstep. It was great to have my friends and family there to support me. It was a lot of pressure, for sure. But it just completed the night after waiting so long for my pro licence.”

The perennial opponent Ester Konecna from the Czech Republic welcomed Palmer into the world of professional boxing in November. A winning debut in Birmingham that came after a somewhat restricted training camp. “The camp wasn’t the best. I know I am really hard on myself, but I couldn’t really spar that much because I broke my nose in the summer, and the nose just kept on bleeding. So sparring was very sparse for me. But we still got the job done.”

Palmer, who will campaign in and around the super-welterweight division, is managed by the former world title challenger Matthew Macklin and is looking forward to an active 2025.

“I am waiting for a fight date,” Palmer told me. “I will take each fight as it comes. I would like four or five fights this year. I’m pretty happy in just giving it my best shot. I know I am no spring chicken, so I know I probably won’t reach the absolute limit. I might, but I also have to be realistic as well.”

Like many, Palmer gets comfort and solace from her sport. “When I am training, I get peace. Peace of mind. Even though it does come with troubles as well. I try to walk away and think, am I benefitting from boxing? But I think my life benefits more from boxing than if I didn’t do it. If I wasn’t boxing, I can’t see exactly what I am or who I am. My life is always connected to boxing. I can’t remove myself from that, at least not yet.” 

Jerry-Lee Palmer could easily have walked away from boxing during her recent difficult and frustrating period. But she showed impressive resilience and determination to get her boxing career back on track when many would have simply said enough is enough. Hopefully, the rewards now come her way.