Tysie Gallagher: “If I execute what I’ve been showing in the gym, I feel like this could be my best performance so far.”    

Tysie Gallagher: “If I execute what I’ve been showing in the gym, I feel like this could be my best performance so far.”    

By Matt Elliott

GBM Sports has been on quite the rise over the last couple of years. From their launch in 2022, Izzy Asif has succeeded in becoming a disruptor, signing emerging talent such as Shakiel Thompson and Ed Hardy while giving more experienced pros like Maxi Hughes and Hughie Fury the opportunity to build momentum as they prepare for the final chapter of their careers. 

One thing that has been consistent throughout their growth has been the quality of their product. What happens inside the ring is, of course, what truly matters, but investment in the production of their shows has not gone unnoticed and will have been a key consideration when DAZN entered into a broadcasting agreement with them last year. This Friday, they present their biggest show to date. Terri Harper headlines a stacked card, defending her WBO lightweight title against Natalie Zimmerman in front of a home crowd at Doncaster Rovers’ Eco-Power Stadium.

There are four title fights scheduled, perhaps the most intriguing being the clash between Tysie Gallagher and Ebonie Jones for the former’s British, Commonwealth, and WBO European super-bantamweight belts. A rivalry that commenced in the amateurs, with Jones victorious in their two bouts, they both turned over at the same time, making their professional debuts just twenty-eight days apart in October 2021, but it’s Gallagher who has enjoyed the greater success to date. As she entered the final week of preparations, I caught up with her via Zoom and started by asking her how she was feeling ahead of this one.

“I’m feeling good. It’s been a hard, tough camp, just as it should be, but I’ve prepared well, and I’m ready to go now. The hard work is done, and I’ve had some really good sparring partners helping me. I’ve been working with Shannon Ryan, Raven Chapman, and Chloe Watson, which has been tough but exactly what I needed.”

Gallagher’s training base is a unique setting for a boxer. In contrast to the ageing city centre gym, she gets to work on a farm in Boreham Wood, around thirty minutes from her home in Luton, inside a modern steel structure that contains a boxing ring. It’s a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life and an environment in which she can concentrate entirely on her boxing. In some ways, that has become even more important during recent months.

The clash with Jones was originally scheduled for early February but a personal tragedy for Gallagher saw the fight postponed. In late January, Diane Cleary, the mother of Gallagher’s partner Callum, was found dead, and a man was later charged with murder. Had she taken an extended break from the sport at that point, it would have been completely understandable, but at the start of March, it was confirmed the fight had been rearranged. I asked Gallagher whether having something else to focus on was a welcome distraction.

“Yes, massively. I needed to jump back on the horse and put all of my focus into this fight and boxing generally, and it’s helped me massively with what’s going on with my family. There were times when it was tough, and at the beginning, I was wondering if I was doing the right thing, and whether it was too soon, but honestly, it’s been the best thing for me. With what’s gone on, it gives me even more drive and fire to go and succeed and smash this fight.”

Turning attention to her opponent, the narrative in the buildup has very much been around the fact that it’s 2-0 to Jones from their amateur days. For context, it should be noted that those fights took place at the ages of twelve and seventeen, so plenty has changed in the years since. Does Gallagher give any thought to those bouts, or are they completely irrelevant given the passage of time?

“Honestly, I don’t even look at it as if I’m fighting the same girl. This is a completely different fight. Obviously, on paper, she’s two-nil up, but none of that thinking has gone into this camp at all. I’ve not given it a second thought. It only comes into my mind when other people talk about it and ask questions about it. We are both completely different people now. We are women, and we are professionals, so I don’t think anything that happened previously will come into play.”

Outside of those two amateur fights, Gallagher and Jones have never really crossed paths. A planned sparring session a couple of years ago never materialised, and to date, Gallagher has plied her professional trade at super-bantamweight, whereas Jones has largely competed at featherweight so far. On paper, Gallagher has the greater experience, but what sort of fight is she expecting on the night?

“Ebonie is a great fighter. She’s a proper boxer, and she’s got good strength. She’s strong, and when she comes forward, she puts her punches together. She’s no mug, and I know that but I feel the way I’ve been developing over the last couple of years, if she tries to box me I believe I will get the better of her, and if she wants to stand and trade, I feel like I’d still come out on top. I’m not looking to run around that ring, I’m looking to stand in the centre and win the fight. It will be a hard fight, though, probably one of the hardest I’ve had in my career so far, but I also think it’s going to be the best performance of my career to date. If I execute what I’ve been showing in the gym, I feel like this could be my best performance so far.”     

The fight will be Gallagher’s second successive appearance in Yorkshire and her third for GBM. Does competing at an outside stadium and on a card headlined by Terri Harper feel like a bit of a pinch-me moment?

“Yes, I think it’s going to be a great night. I’m so excited and honoured to be part of this show. There are some great fights on the card, and to be part of it is crazy. When I think about it, from where I started at eleven years old to where I am now, I’m doing things I only dreamt of. This is a big platform to be on, and GBM are putting on some great shows, and Izzy is working hard to put everything together. It’s amazing to be part of it all.”

When I last spoke to Gallagher, it was in the buildup to her fight with Stevi Levy, which will be one day short of a full year ago when she takes to the ring against Jones. At the time, we had discussed how proud she was to be fighting for the inaugural women’s super-bantamweight British title, so it was only right to revisit that night and ask how she looks back on it.

“It was an amazing night. To become the first British champion at this weight class means a hell of a lot to me. Stevi was a tough opponent, but I thought I handled the occasion well and got the victory. It’s put me on a route to win the British outright, but anything can happen in boxing, but at the minute that’s where I’m heading. I think I’m showing everyone, the fans, the promoters, and myself that I’ll fight anyone and that I want to be in exciting fights. That’s what means more to me than anything, to be fair. Once my career is finished, I want to look back and think, yeah, I didn’t duck anyone. It’s like the fight with Ebonie, I don’t need to take it. There could be easier routes for me, but I don’t want that. It’s not what I’m here for. So, nights like that in York Hall just make everything that much sweeter and that much better because I put a lot of pressure on myself, so when I deliver, it’s a great feeling.”

Gallagher followed the win over Levy with a victory against Tori-Ellis Willets last September. Her British title wasn’t on the line, but she successfully defended her Commonwealth belt for the second time and picked up the WBO International strap, helping to bolster her position with that sanctioning body. While acknowledging the potential to win the British title outright, having previously fought for world honours, falling just short against Segolene Lefebvre in November 2023, does Gallagher feel as if she’s on the verge of returning to that stage?

“I feel like I’m proving time and time again that I’m ready for it. I’m being patient, and I’m not in a rush to fight again for a world title, but I know I am at that level. This will be my sixth title fight, so I’ve got the experience, but firstly, I need to get over this hurdle and be fully focused on getting the job done, and then hopefully I’ll be knocking on the door, because that’s where I feel I belong. I was second in line for the WBO, but I’ve fallen back a bit due to not fighting in January, but they are the fights I want to be involved in, big fights with great boxers; that’s what I’m in the sport for.”

I concluded our chat by asking Gallagher for her view on the current state of women’s boxing. Following a meteoric rise in recent years, there has been a plateau of late, driven somewhat by the emergence of Saudi Arabia, with female fights noticeably absent from the blockbuster cards, only the clash between Skye Nicolson and Raven Chapman and Ramla Ali and Crystal Garcia Nova featuring so far. In the last couple of weeks, Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions have made huge strides by signing an array of talent and promising to put on the big fights. What does Gallagher think of this, and what does she feel is needed to inject some impetus back into the sport?

“I think what Jake Paul is doing is amazing because he’s the only one truly backing women at the moment. I know he’ll be paying right as well, and with who he’s signed, he’ll be making great fights happen. People are always talking about how women’s boxing is on the rise, but I disagree. I don’t feel like the promoters are backing us anywhere near the level they should be. We get the odd night, like the one at the Royal Albert Hall, where it’s all about women, and that’s great, I love those nights, but then that’s it, and nothing else happens for ages. There are so many talented girls out there, and they should be getting the limelight, but instead, they go under the radar, and some end up quitting because of a lack of opportunities. If we can change that, then there’ll be a domino effect, and it can keep growing and growing, and the future is bright because the talent is getting better. So, we need to keep the girls coming through, but the current generation needs to be getting the opportunities to ensure that happens.”