Sarah Liegmann: “I know what I am capable of, and the long-term goal is to have a world title.”

Sarah Liegmann: “I know what I am capable of, and the long-term goal is to have a world title.”

Sarah Liegmann hasn’t fought since April. A unanimous ten-round points victory over Liliana Martinez, in her native Germany, earned Liegmann the WBF featherweight title. But a lingering hand injury and a recent illness have prevented the unbeaten prospect from fighting since her win over Martinez.

“It really is frustrating,” Liegmann told FightPost over Zoom. We planned to have a stay-busy fight in December, but I got really sick. We trained, feeling sick because I really wanted this fight. It affected my lungs, and I couldn’t train for three weeks because I was so sick. It started with a sore throat, just a normal sickness that you get all the time. I trained with it, and it just got worse and worse. Normally, you should know better and not train when you are sick, but the pressure of having a fight coming up is really bad. We planned to have this fight and another one in February and then a bigger fight in April.”

Liegmann is unbeaten in twelve professional fights, and the 23-year-old has plenty of time on her side. “I want to defend my WBF title, and we are also looking for another title in another association,” Liegmann says of what is potentially next for her. “My manager is in contact with the WBA, and we are also in talks with the WBC. I am open to fighting with any association that has titles to get ranked, and in 2027, fight for a bigger world title. I am looking forward to next year; we have some plans. I hope to be back in the ring in February.”

Liegmann hasn’t wasted the last eight months. The studying for her degree has been a constant, and has somewhat eased her frustrations from her boxing life. “I am very happy that I don’t just have boxing in my life. I have been doing my bachelor’s degree in psychology, so I have something else that I can focus on. I could study a lot during the time when I was at home. After my fight in April, I had to totally focus on university. It is important to me to have the university stuff because you never know what will happen tomorrow.

“I am really into psychology,” Liegmann added. “It started very early; we had a subject in school focusing on psychology and the development of children, behaviour, mind, and everything. I really loved it, and I was always interested in medicine. But psychology is pure mind; you can look into someone without cutting them open. Getting into someone’s brain, and I love everything about that. I know mental health is such a big subject. For me, the topic of mental health is such a big deal, and to put it together with boxing, because you have to be so strong. It is frustrating to have been out of the ring for so long, but I have found my way to deal with it. I focus on next year and upcoming fights. I need something to focus on and aim for. I know I have dates in February, then April, and then in the autumn. So I have something to focus on, and it gives me motivation.”

Sarah Liegmann calls her studying a hobby, at least right now, although it will undoubtedly develop into something more. But boxing is a passion. The planned return in February will be a new beginning with some incredibly lofty ambitions, albeit at her own pace.

“The goal of every fighter is to go undisputed,” Liegmann told me. “I am still very young, and I don’t want to rush myself. I know what I am capable of, and the long-term goal is to have a world title in one of the big associations and then become undisputed.”