Shona Whitwell: “I want to build the fights up on my record and catch the eyes of the big promoters and aim for titles towards the end of the year.”

Shona Whitwell: “I want to build the fights up on my record and catch the eyes of the big promoters and aim for titles towards the end of the year.”

Two years from that Olympic disappointment, Shona Whitwell is looking to make significant progress in 2026 as her professional career moves to the next phase.

The 28-year-old turned professional last year after a painful end to her amateur career. A long-standing Olympic dream was cruelly taken away two years ago. The Amy Broadhurst saga left a bitter taste for those affected. It always looked like an incredibly misguided decision, and there were no winners in an avoidable drama that ripped away the dreams of Whitwell and her GB rival Gemma Richardson. The hunt for medals overruled any thought of loyalty to those who had given so much for so long.

Both Whitwell and Richardson eventually moved on and turned professional. Richardson is now two fights into her new life and will next appear on the big MVP card next month at the Olympia in London.

Whitwell is also unbeaten in two fights in the pro ranks. Like her former amateur rival, she has impressed and will also return to action in April. The Cambridgeshire fighter will have fight number three on April 18th on a BCB Promotions show in Northampton. Whitwell hopes it will be the first of many in this calendar year. Despite that unblemished start to her professional career, Shona Whitwell ideally would have wanted more than just those two fights that currently sit on her resume. “It’s been frustrating and a slower start than I would have liked,” Whitwell told me. “However, that’s all part of the process.”

Whitwell outpointed Katerina Dvorakova over six rounds on her debut last April, and followed that up with a highly impressive opening round stoppage of Alisha Lewis in October. The former amateur star is hoping that she will find regular ring time in 2026 and secure the fights that will propel her into the title picture before the end of the year.

“This year, activity is key,” Whitwell says. “I want to build the fights up on my record and catch the eyes of the big promoters and aim for titles towards the end of the year and into the new year.”