Jasmina Zapotoczna: “It’s a big card at a big venue, and I think Chloe Watson and I are just perfect for this show.”

Jasmina Zapotoczna: “It’s a big card at a big venue, and I think Chloe Watson and I are just perfect for this show.”

“I have been super-excited all day because it’s finally been announced. Honestly, I am over the moon.” The opening words of a beyond happy Jasmina Zapotoczna.

Zapotoczna had finally had her next fight formally announced. The long wait for her return to the ring was now over. After seven months out since Zapotoczna had ended the unbeaten record of the Matchroom prospect Maisey Rose Courtney, she will get a coveted spot on the Boxxer all-female extravaganza at the Royal Albert Hall on March 7th. A European flyweight title fight against the unbeaten Chloe Watson.

The two were scheduled to fight in 2024 until Watson had to withdraw through injury, and despite promises the fight would be rescheduled, Zapotoczna had to wait patiently on the sidelines.

“The past few months were quite frustrating for me,” Zapotoczna told me. “I was really looking forward to that fight with Chloe, and I was hoping they would reschedule that fight before the end of last year. But it is what it is, and I had to accept it and just keep ticking over. Boxing is my whole life, so despite not fighting for seven months, I was still in good shape. I kept training. I was staying ready. I would love to have had another fight last year, but it was out of my control. It’s really frustrating, but it is just part of professional boxing.”

The fight with Chloe Watson is the perfect reward for her breakthrough win over Courtney last year. Two sublime fighters who will clash with the European title on the line. For Zapotoczna, it’s another opportunity to show her talent, this time on a much bigger stage.

“I just want to showcase my skills and show the best Jasmina in the ring, and that’s what I am going to do on the 7th March as well.”

Throughout the 15 minutes we spent on Zoom, Zapotoczna never stopped smiling. The word “excited” was repeated multiple times. “It’s like a dream come true,” Zapotoczna told FightPost. “A lot of female fighters would have wanted to be on that show, and I am really excited to be on that show. It’s historic, an all-female show, in such an iconic venue. I feel so honoured and privileged to be fighting at the Royal Albert Hall. For me, it shows that I am skilful and worthy of being there. I am a good fighter, and I have worked very hard to be where I am now.

“It’s a big card at a big venue, and I think Chloe Watson and I are just perfect for this show. It’s a tough fight, Chloe is skilful as well. So it will be a very competitive fight, and I think it will be very enjoyable to watch as well. I am really looking forward to it and I think we will really entertain the crowd. I watched the last all-female card, and it was my little dream to be on this one. I am so excited.”

The winner on March 7th will edge ever nearer to an opportunity on the world stage. Something that is already in the mind of Zapotoczna. “I could have a world title fight at the end of 2025. That would be another dream.”

But there is also a possibility that Zapotoczna could fight someone who she already shares plenty of ring time with. The Commonwealth Champion Nicola Hopewell and Zapotoczna are friends, but both have accepted that they could fight for real at some point in 2025.

“Nicola is my sparring partner at the moment, and we know there is a chance that we could fight each other. We both know that, and maybe that could happen next as well. Fighting someone is just business. It’s just a job. I need to do my job, win, and then move on to the next one. I would rather fight someone l know and like, rather than someone who is nasty to me. It’s just our job, and for me, I have no emotions in the ring.”         

Like many on the female side of the sport, Jasmina Zapotoczna has had a difficult, frustrating time of late. But her patience has been greatly rewarded with an opportunity on one of the biggest shows of the year. Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price will headline at the Royal Albert Hall, and the likes of Zapotoczna and the rest of the fighters on the card will benefit from all the publicity that the show will undoubtedly generate. The impressive win over Maisey Rose Courtney was followed by a period of inactivity. But if Zapotoczna can follow that victory with a win over Chloe Watson, you sense that would take her career to another stratosphere. It would change everything for her.

But away from who leaves London with the European title in their possession, there is something else that we shouldn’t forget. In simple terms, it is a good fight between two very good fighters. Boxxer has chosen well.