Lillie Winch: “I want to be out as much as possible this year and hopefully fight for a title.”

Lillie Winch: “I want to be out as much as possible this year and hopefully fight for a title.”

By Matt Elliott

If you were to sit down and write out a list of the best female prospects in British boxing, there’s every chance that Lillie Winch’s name would be towards the very top. A fighter who first stepped foot into the gym as a way of channelling her anger, amidst a difficult childhood which saw her regularly in trouble at school, before a late, but welcomed diagnosis for high-functioning autism gave her a greater understanding of her emotions, Winch is now a professional boxer with a 5-0 record and with all the potential to reach the top.

An unfortunate hand injury in the second half of 2025 derailed a scheduled showdown with Linzi Buczynskyj for the super-featherweight commonwealth silver title, but having recovered, that fight is now rescheduled for February 15, although this time there is no belt on the line. Despite that, Winch is happy to be back, and as she told me on Zoom this past week, she’s looking forward to testing herself against what she believes is her toughest opponent so far.

“Linzi is a good girl, and she’s probably one of the better boxers that I will have faced. She’s not just a brawler; she’s got good technique, and this will be a good test for me to see where I’m at. It’s disappointing there’s no title to fight for, but it’s good to just be back out there.”

Suffering an injury is frustrating for any sportsperson, but for Winch, it’s as much about the mental impact of being sidelined as it is the physical recovery. A knee injury during her time as an amateur forced her out of the gym and into a downward spiral as she battled depression and found herself unable to leave the house. This latest injury came with a physio’s order not to train, and it was therefore important that Winch managed the situation carefully.

“These last couple of months have put into perspective how important training is in my life. Since the injury healed and I was allowed to train again, I’ve barely had any days off because I’m so scared of going back to that place where I didn’t want to get out of bed. Even when I wasn’t allowed to box, I was compensating by running every single day, like mad kilometres to the point where my legs were in agony. For me, physical activity is so important for my mental health. If I could speak to anyone who is struggling, I’d tell them to go to the gym. Even if you just walk on a treadmill, you’ll feel so much better for it.”

February’s contest will be Winch’s sixth as a professional. A journey that started at sixteen has seen her take a somewhat unorthodox route, as she first competed on the white-collar scene before a brief spell as an amateur ahead of turning over in early 2024. There was a short period of time between that first trip to the gym and knowing she wanted to do this for a living.

“I started at a Muay Thai gym with a friend of my mum’s, as she wanted an environment for me where I could channel my anger. Then I went on holiday, and one of my friend’s uncles, Victor Smith, was there. He said to come to his gym when we were back, so I did, and that’s where I met Marc Dennis. In our first session, he made me sick, but I loved it. And that was it, really. I started going twice a week, but before long, I was there four times. Then I wanted to take it up properly and fight, so I started training for my first white-collar fight. I told Marc quite early on I wanted to become a professional, but I’m not sure he quite believed I’d stick with it.”

That white-collar route is not the traditional one that most boxers follow, but as we’ve seen with Fabio Wardley and Rhiannon Dixon, it can be a highly rewarding one. At the outset, it was as much about having something to focus on for Winch as it was the thrill of wanting to compete.

“I had my first fight, and it was great, so I had another, then another. I loved the routine. I’m all or nothing as a person. If I’ve got a focus, I’m all in, but if I don’t, I can fall into bad habits and start thinking I’ve got nothing to get up for. White-collar got me started, and it was a buzz to choose your walkout song and have the people you love, your family and friends, sat ringside cheering you on.”

As much as she enjoyed the experience, with turning professional the ultimate aim, Winch knew she would have to go through the amateurs. It was a short-lived experience, a means to an end, but she did enjoy success, winning gold and silver on the same weekend at the Hull Box Cup. Looking back, though, it wasn’t an experience she enjoyed.

“I hated the amateurs. I think fighting on the white-collar scene first, where it’s like a professional show and a proper tear-up at times, then moving to the amateurs, where it’s only three rounds, it’s a completely different style, and I hated the fast pace. I wanted to turn over as soon as I could.”  

It was towards the end of that amateur run that Winch suffered the knee injury, which led to a bout of depression. As she came through it and got back to a routine, she spent time sparring with Nina Hughes at Newlands Gym. It was there she met Leon Sudbury and discussed getting her license and him becoming her manager. A few months later, it was all done, and she made her debut in June 2024, beating Angelika Oakes 60-54 on a Top Tier card. Despite the expected nerves, it was a proud moment.

“Top Tier put on a wicked production. I was nervous heading in, but only because I wanted to perform well, and I put so much pressure on myself at times. I wanted to impress Johnny [Clark], Leon and make sure I did right by my coaches as well. Leon had me do a lot of interviews in the buildup to prepare me, and I was constantly being bigged up, so I thought I’ve got to live up to the hype now.

“There were nerves in the changing room, but when I walked out and saw the support for me, they went away. When I saw everyone, I thought, it’ll be alright, I can do this.”

Winch remained active from there, fighting four more times in the next twelve months, and only dropping one round along the way. Her last fight was a special one, as she competed on the undercard of Fabio Wardley’s clash with Justis Huni at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road. She admits that fighting in a stadium in just her fifth professional outing was a bit of a pinch-me moment.

“I remember when we got to the stadium, Leon took me out to see the ring, and I remember turning around and seeing my face and name on the big screen. That was overwhelming, and in that moment, I could’ve cried because I was thinking, how am I here. I sold a good number of tickets as well, but when I ring-walked, it was fairly empty. I saw my mum and sister and thought where is everyone? Then they announced my name, and people filtered in, screaming and shouting. It was a crazy experience.”

Next should have been the fight with Buczynskyj for the Commonwealth Silver, but injury curtailed those plans. During that downtime, Winch reflected on her journey so far and made the difficult decision to part ways with long-time coach Marc Dennis and move across to Rod Julian at RJ’s Gym. Leaving someone who had been by her side from day one was tough, but she felt it was the right time to take the next step.

“When you’re injured, you have time to sit down, reflect, and think about what you want to do with your career, and when you’re torn away from it, it makes you realise how badly you want it. I’m quite self-critical, and I always want to be the best that I can be.

“Leaving Marc and the team at Dennis & Dyer was hard, but it was just a case of wanting someone who could teach me a bit more, someone who has been around the scene longer. That’s no disrespect to Marc at all. He’s got me to where I am and stuck by my side throughout it all. We still get on really well. He’s my boss at work, so I still see him every day.”

With the injury now behind her and a new coach in her corner, the focus is very much on February 15. While she will not make the mistake of underestimating her opponent, Winch admits that her aims for 2026 are to remain active and work her way back towards a title shot.

“I want to be out as much as possible this year and hopefully fight for a title. I need to make sure my hands are right after this fight and keep my body intact, but I want to fight as often as I can. I must stay active as I’m learning on the job, and if I can pick up a title along the way, we’ll push on and see where we go from there.”