Chloe Watson: Liverpool & Beyond

Chloe Watson: Liverpool & Beyond

Chloe Watson gets a hometown gig this weekend when she starts the process of getting herself back into the title picture. Watson heads to the Grand Central Hall, Liverpool, on Sunday, hoping to stem the tide of two consecutive defeats that have halted all her previous career momentum.

Klaudia Ferenczi will yet again be in the away corner on British soil. Only last weekend, Ferenczi stepped in at the eleventh hour to give Megan Redstall some rounds, and she will serve her purpose again in Liverpool. Watson will get the minutes, and almost certainly, the victory.

Some may say the career of the Birkenhead-fighter is in a mini-crisis, and while two defeats on the bounce are never welcomed, Chloe Watson shouldn’t be written off just yet.

Watson was more than arguably one of the top ten pound-for-pound fighters in the country only a few months ago. Watson started the year unbeaten in eight fights and the European flyweight champion and seemingly moving into world title contention.

In a defence of her European bauble, Watson was favoured to retain her title against Jasmina Zapotoczna in March at the Royal Albert Hall. A supposed showcase live on Sky Sports, being part of an iconic all-female card. But in a fight that could have legitimately gone either way, Zapotoczna edged past Watson on a wafer-thin split-decision. For context, Zapotoczna is closing in on a world title shot and is now rated a top-five flyweight. Losing to her, and in the manner that she did, shows just how good a fighter Watson is. There wasn’t much to separate them nine months ago; a rematch between the pair would likely play out in the exact same manner.

In October, Chloe Watson rolled the dice again when she moved up to super-flyweight to fight Shannon Ryan. An accidental head clash in the opening moments of the fight left Watson with a grotesque swelling over her right eye. After four completed rounds, the fight was stopped, and Ryan was awarded the fight by way of a technical decision. The fight was called to a halt before it had reached a natural conclusion. Ryan won the early rounds, but there is no telling how the fight would have played out without the somewhat premature conclusion. It is a fight that Watson wants to run back, but with Ryan edging ever closer to a world title opportunity, that rematch is unlikely to materialise any time soon.

But Watson is far too good a fighter to be written off. If, as expected, Watson gets back in the win column on Sunday, 2026 could still be a good year for her. Zapotoczna is likely to defend her European title in a rematch with Maiseyrose Courtney. If flyweight is still of interest, it’s not that hard to envisage Watson fighting the winner. Either fight makes plenty of sense for all parties.

The former European super-flyweight champion Lauren Parker will return in the new year, and could be a highly intriguing fight for Watson. Megan Redstall at bantamweight could be another possibility with the Commonwealth title on the line. Either way, and no matter the weight or the opponent, Watson shouldn’t be short of options going forward.

At just 25, Chloe Watson still has her best years ahead of her. A fighter who is still very much coming into her peak.