Megan Redstall: “Maisey is a tough opponent, so I don’t want to overlook her at all. But winning this will open many doors for me.”

Megan Redstall: “Maisey is a tough opponent, so I don’t want to overlook her at all. But winning this will open many doors for me.”

The emotions were high. Relief as well as joy. After fights with Laura Pain and Emma Dolan had previously fallen through, Megan Redstall would have been hoping it was third time lucky when she was matched with Maiseyrose Courtney for the Commonwealth bantamweight title in January. But when Courtney suffered a hand injury in her very last sparring session, Redstall was back again in that familiar state of frustration and more.

But Johnny Clark of Top Tier Promotions rescued the night for Redstall. The Kenyan Consolata Musanga was drafted in to face Redstall at the last minute. But it was a fruitless visit to the Brentwood Centre. Musanga lost every round to Redstall. The winner looked good. Redstall has the look of a very good fighter.

“What a relief to actually have a fight for that belt,” Redstall told FightPost. “When I got that call to say Maisey had pulled out, I thought, here we go again. But thankfully, Johnny managed to get an opponent, and I finally had my time to fight for the belt.

“There are many positives to take away from the fight; first title, first ten-rounder and under the bigger lights for the second time. But it definitely wasn’t half of what I can do, and sometimes it’s hard to showcase your full potential when you haven’t got that level opponent in front of you.”

It’s been a long road for Redstall. The 24-year-old saw those fights with Pain, Dolan, and Courtney slip agonisingly away when they were within touching distance. But all those frustrations have made winning that Commonwealth bauble even more meaningful.

“It really does,” Redstall says. “I think you can see that with the relief on my face when my hand got raised. It definitely put a lump in my throat. I’m not discrediting my opponent by any means; it was still a dangerous fight for me, especially when someone is wild and unpredictable with their punches. But I think this fight will always be up there for me just because of how hard and long the road to winning that title has been, not just for me but for my family, friends and team.”

Clark has rescheduled the fight with Maiseyrose Courtney for July, this time with the vacant WBO International flyweight title on the line. It is a highly intriguing fight, and one that has mutual respect running at the heart of it.

“I think Maisey is a brilliant fighter,” Redstall says of her next opponent. “As I said before, I’ve got all the respect for Maisey, and it’s a pleasure to share the ring with her on July 12th. She’s a top opponent and operator, so hopefully that will bring out the best in me.”

The originally intended fight between Redstall and Courtney was at bantamweight. Both fighters are happy the rescheduled fight is at a weight that is better suited to their frames. Redstall is especially happy that she will fight Courtney at a more natural weight

“Absolutely, flyweight is my correct weight,” Redstall relayed to me. “I’ve been fighting far too heavy, but that’s what you’ve got to do to take opportunities. I walk around under the bantamweight weight limit, so dropping down to fly was a no-brainer for me.”

It is a fight of much intrigue. Both fighters and, indeed, Johnny Clark, deserve immense credit for rolling the dice when there were many far safer options elsewhere. The aforementioned mutual respect is obvious when I ask Redstall how does she win.

“I’m going to be boring now,” Redstall says. “I’m not one to predict how I’m going to win or what I’m going to do in there because these things just can’t be written. You never know what’s going to happen in there, but what I can say is I’ll be the best version of me on the night. Hopefully, Maisey will be the best version of herself, and we can put on a great fight for the crowd. I predict I’m going to win. Any fighter walking in there without thinking they are going to win shouldn’t be in there. But equally, we will find out on the night how that will be done.”

Redstall (7-0-1) is heading into the business end of her career. With a Commonwealth title already on her resume, Redstall is now edging closer to even bigger titles. A win over her domestic rival in July will push her closer to her lofty ambitions. Redstall is only thinking of Maiseyrose Courtney in the immediate future, but she knows what a victory could bring.

“I’m trying not to look too far in advance,” Redstall told me. “Maisey is a tough opponent, so I don’t want to overlook her at all. But winning this will open many doors for me. A British title, a European title, or even a world title. It all sounds glorious to me, but I have just got to focus on July 12th for now, and then see what comes to the table after that.”