Shona Whitwell: “I am aiming to be a world champion, and undisputed is the ultimate goal.”

Shona Whitwell: “I am aiming to be a world champion, and undisputed is the ultimate goal.”

A beyond-difficult 2024 is now behind Shona Whitwell. A year that started with hopes of a golden ticket to Paris and a place on the Olympic podium. It ended somewhat cruelly for her. A situation that could and should have been handled differently. The Amy Broadhurst saga left a bitter taste. She had nowhere left to go in the amateur ranks. A new beginning now awaits her.

On April 19th, Shona Whitwell will make her professional debut at the iconic York Hall in London.

“Yes, I am definitely excited,” Whitwell says of her brand new start. “Change is good, and sometimes it is necessary in order to get out of that comfort zone that I’ve been in. It’s a breath of fresh air. I’m still not expecting it to be easy as I know it’s a completely different ball game to the amateurs, but I’m ready for it.”

“That’s the plan,” Whitwell replies when I ask if activity is important in the embryonic stages of her professional career. “Performance is key. That’s all I’m really focused on when I’m boxing. I’d really like to showcase my skills on my debut and turn a few heads.

“I will be fighting at super-featherweight, which isn’t far off from where I boxed at as an amateur. I’ve always really sat around that kind of weight; that’s where I feel at my strongest.”

Shona Whitwell is adapting well to her new, if completely different, environment. “It’s massively different from what I’m used to. As an amateur, especially part of Team GB, where everything is pretty much done for you. So now I have to take everything on myself, things I’ve never had to even think about. But it means I’m more in charge of my own career now. Obviously, the benefits of being at home a lot more are worth it.”

“Right now, I’m a free agent,” Whitwell says of her current promotional situation. “At the moment, I feel like promoters aren’t pushing female boxing like they once were at the beginning. I’ve seen a lot of my old teammates boxing on small hall shows, and that’s never how it used to be. I don’t mind starting small. There’s less pressure, and I can build my way into it rather than be thrown into the deep end. I’ve always done things the hard way, so why stop now?

“Because I have an experienced amateur background. I also have a style that you don’t always find in a tall southpaw counterpuncher. I’m a clinical boxer and work off accuracy. You haven’t always got to be a front-foot fighter to make boxing enjoyable.

“Being at that gym, I’m surrounded by a good team of prospects. It’s a good mix, and we all push each other in training. Having the support of Tony Sims, who’s a very knowledgeable and experienced coach is a bonus and John Ryder being my coach with his knowledge from him having been there and done it, especially with him being an aggressive southpaw I find really adds to my game and can use his experience to benefit me.”

Shona Whitwell was an elite amateur; seven national titles show her quality, and maybe the way it finished denied her resume a golden climax. But Whitwell has left the past firmly behind her. That difficult 2024 has given way to new dreams for 2025. An ambitious fighter who believes she can go all the way.

“I believe I can go as far as I want,” Whitwell told FightPost. “I am aiming to be a world champion, and undisputed is the ultimate goal. But to start off, we’re looking at domestic titles, perhaps. I’m 27 now, and I’m at my peak, so I’ll move as fast as I need to, but I’m hoping to learn and gain valuable experience in every fight to set me up for the bigger fights.”