Sam Lightfoot: “Boxing is my passion, and I want to make a living out of it.”

Sam Lightfoot: “Boxing is my passion, and I want to make a living out of it.”

Sam Lightfoot is the latest fighter to leave the amateur world behind to join the ever-expanding professional ranks. Like many, Lightfoot has had to be patient while her application for a British Boxing Board of Control licence is completed. “The application has been sent, and we are just waiting on the Board meeting, and then we can get on with getting my medicals sorted,” Lightfoot told FightPost of where that process currently is.

After thirty amateur fights that included winning the NAC Yorkshire Championships, the Winter Box Cup, and various other titles, Lightfoot decided to seek pastures new.

“My team and I thought it was the right time to turn professional. I’ve been boxing for eight years and competing across the country for seven years. That’s been the goal since I first put on a pair of gloves, and I do believe I have always been more suited to being a professional in regard to my boxing style.”

Lightfoot will be turning professional under the guidance of respected heavyweight Dave Allen.

“I’ve known Dave for quite some years, and he’s good friends with my coaches at Manor Boxing Academy,” Lightfoot says of the decision to have Dave Allen in her corner. “His lads regularly come and spar our lads. I think Dave is a perfect manager for me going forward. He’s an all-around great guy, and he knows his stuff when it comes to boxing. Dave has been in the sport for a long time. And also he believes in me and he thinks that I’m going to go far.”

Sam Lightfoot started her boxing journey at an early age. “It all started when my mum signed me up for Martial Arts classes at the age of 10/11, and following that, I tried a number of styles of Martial Arts. I started boxing when I was 14. I was a chubby kid with low self-confidence. I found out about this local boxing gym called De Hood while I was training in Taekwondo. I just thought I’d give it a go, and here we are eight years later, and I’ve been obsessed with the sport ever since.”

“Boxing has changed my life for the better,” Lightfoot says of what boxing gives her. “It gave me a dream and a vision to succeed. I was misunderstood, shy, and let’s say a bit naughty in school. Boxing put me on the right path, gave me discipline to get through school, and helped me pass my GCSEs. I’ve achieved things my younger self would have never imagined. Also, I’ve met some amazing people along the way.”

Subject to getting the vital all-clear from the British Boxing Board of Control, Lightfoot hopes to make that maiden ring walk in the summer.

“We are aiming for July. There’s no rush, and I’m still young. I am aware that female boxers do move fairly quickly. I have the best team behind me in Roger, Gary, and Dave. They know what they’re doing. They’ve done this before. Whoever, wherever, and whenever they want me to fight, I’ll be ready and ready to give it my all.”

At 22, Sam Lightfoot has time on her side. There is no rush for the Sheffield-born fighter who is thinking high but also wants a piece of that iconic Lonsdale Belt.

“I just want to get as far as my abilities can take me. World Championship belts have been a dream of mine, but women’s boxing finally has its own British title, and now I want to raise that belt above my head the most. Boxing is my passion, and I want to make a living out of it. Also, I want to inspire the next generation and give young kids and young adults a purpose in life and a dream to succeed.”