Mae Astbury: “It was an unforgettable night that has marked the beginning of my journey in professional boxing.”

Mae Astbury: “It was an unforgettable night that has marked the beginning of my journey in professional boxing.”

In many ways, it was a long time coming. A seemingly never-ending process to get a British Boxing Board of Control licence. It took time. Too much time, in truth. But Mae Astbury kept the faith, and finally, on Saturday night, the much-delayed professional debut finally materialised.

At the Middleton Arena, Middleton Astbury got her new journey off to the perfect start. A winning debut over four rounds against the Argentinian Antonella Shirley Molina, who was having her third fight of the month in the UK.

The whole experience was incredible,” Astbury told FightPost. “The energy from the crowd, the anticipation leading up to the fight, and the chance to finally step into the ring after all the hard work. It was everything I imagined and more. The whole evening was a whirlwind, but once it had finally sunk in, I just felt extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to debut on such a good show. It was an unforgettable night that has marked the beginning of my journey in professional boxing.”

Molina was perhaps the ideal opponent. A tough, rugged veteran of thirty fights who gave the professional newcomer a more than decent workout.

Astbury was a little over-eager in the first round. More than understandable after waiting so long for that maiden ring walk. Molina even found a little success of her own in the second of the four rounds. At times, Astbury was caught a little too easily. But she settled down, and Astbury showed little glimpses of her potential in the final round. A 40-36 scorecard got Astbury off to a winning start, and she was pleased with her professional debut.

“I’m proud of my performance, but I know I can do more,” Astbury says of her first taste of professional action. “I think the adrenaline took over a little, but once I had settled and found my distance, I felt more comfortable and in control. I made sure I stayed composed under pressure and kept my focus throughout the fight. It wasn’t perfect, but I couldn’t be happier with the result. This is just the first step, and I’m already looking ahead to my next opportunity to grow and showcase my skills even more now that we’ve got the ball rolling.”

At 26, Mae Astbury has time on her side. The long process to get her career up and running is now in the past. She can now look forward. The ambitions are high. But equally, she knows there is no rush. Astbury is dreaming of titles. From what we saw on Saturday night, she looks capable of doing exactly that.