Beyond The Ropes: Katie Riddle

Beyond The Ropes: Katie Riddle

It’s been nearly a year since I last spoke to Katie Riddle. The Australian was hoping to have her second professional fight in June, but a lingering ankle injury was a potential obstacle to that goal. Riddle was undergoing extensive rehabilitation, hoping to avoid having surgery on her troublesome ankle. But sadly, going under the surgeon’s knife couldn’t be avoided.

“The surgery all went really well,” Riddle told me. “Recovery as a whole was a lot less painful than I expected. But when I was in the thick of it, the recovery felt like two steps forward, one step back. But now it’s feeling really great, and I’ll be getting back in the ring sooner than I was expecting.”

Finally, Riddle has fight number two on the horizon. The Indonesian fighter Febriyanti Lubis will welcome Riddle back to the ring next month. “I have never been so happy to be in camp,” Riddle told FightPost. “I’m just so grateful to be back doing what I love most. I’m not really looking too much past this fight at the moment. I just want to get back in the ring and get a win on the board.”

Riddle will be hoping her second professional fight goes better than her first. In late 2023, the still-unbeaten Jemma Peart stopped Riddle inside a round. An experience that Riddle is very philosophical about. “Though it was short-lived, I still took a lot away from that debut training camp and the fight itself. So I wouldn’t say I’m looking to write the wrongs, but I certainly won’t make those same mistakes again.

“One of my besties, April Napthine, is actually taking on my debut opponent Jemma Peart for her Australian title in five weeks’ time. What’s the saying? If you can’t beat them, send your faster, fitter, stronger friend to do it for you.”

Katie Riddle has a history of overcoming adversity. She was stopped in her very first fight in the sport and came back to have a successful amateur career. There is no reason why she can’t do the same in the professional ranks.