Megan Redstall: A Future Star?

Megan Redstall: A Future Star?

Sometimes it’s not just about winning; it’s how you win. For Megan Redstall, her victory over Maiseyrose Courtney was her coming out performance. I said pre-fight that Courtney would tell us just how good Redstall was. We now have the answer to that question. Megan Redstall is exceptionally good.

Redstall had beaten the usual suspects since she turned professional in 2021. Opponents who are happy to be in the away corner. Happy to just survive and go home with the minimum of fuss. Journeywomen play an important part in the development of an up-and-coming prospect. But they don’t always tell us the true potential of that fighter. Only when they face someone with equal ambition do we get some indication of just how far a fighter can go. Redstall showed us plenty. And there is every chance there is a lot more to come.

Maiseyrose Courtney was that fighter. The one that would give us some indication of her ceiling. It was viewed as a pick ’em fight. With good reason. It was. Courtney was by some distance the best fighter that Redstall had faced to date. There was doubt and plenty of it. Nobody could say for certain who would win. Once that first bell rang at the Brentwood Centre, we very quickly knew who would win.

Redstall was beyond impressive in dominating Courtney over ten largely one-sided rounds. A beautifully timed uppercut from Redstall dropped Courtney in the opening round. In truth, the fight looked over right there and then. Courtney was clearly hurt. She did well to survive. But I don’t think Courtney ever truly recovered from that disastrous start.

To her credit, Courtney never stopped trying. But Redstall was far too much for her. Courtney was visibly hurt numerous times during the ten rounds. There were times when I thought Redstall would get the stoppage. There were times when I thought the Courtney corner would pull their fighter out. It was supposed to be a 50/50 fight. In reality, it was anything but.

Redstall claimed the vacant WBO International flyweight title courtesy of unanimous scorecards of 100-89, 100-89, and 98-91. An accurate reflection of the dominance of Redstall.

Courtney will come again. By no stretch of the imagination is she a bad fighter. It’s that fact that makes the performance of Redstall even more impressive. Courtney had only one previous defeat on her record. Jasmina Zapotoczna beat her in 2024. Redstall beat her more convincingly than Zapotoczna, who is now the European flyweight champion and could be on the brink of a long-awaited world title opportunity.

At 25, Redstall will only get better. Her confidence can only soar from the manner of her victory over Courtney. The 25-year-old might have gone under the radar somewhat, but that should now change.

Redstall will likely return in October on the next Top Tier show. Johnny Clark mentioned trying to get Redstall a British title fight. But the list of potential opponents is likely to be restricted to either Chloe Watson or Nicola Hopewell. Both Watson and Hopewell have previously expressed an interest in fighting whoever won out of Redstall and Courtney.

Watson, a former European champion, is coming off two straight defeats. Although both defeats came outside of the flyweight ranks. Hopewell was recently stopped in two rounds by Shannon Ryan, albeit at super-flyweight. Either fight would be a decent enough test for Redstall, but I’m not convinced the British Boxing Board of Control would sanction a Lonsdale belt for either match-up, at least not right now. Watson and Hopewell would likely need to get back in the column first. Although timing and circumstances might make that somewhat problematic.

But if Redstall fights either Watson or Hopewell next, with or without the British title on the line, few would complain. I’m always of the opinion that if there are domestic opponents available, then use them.

If Zapotoczna doesn’t secure that maiden world title attempt, Redstall could look at the potential fight for October. Fighting Zapotoczna with the European title on the line would be a sensible and worthwhile step up for Redstall. But I suspect any fight with Zapotoczna would likely be at some point in 2027. But whoever is next, they now know they will face an incredibly difficult task. Redstall has a style to give virtually anyone an uncomfortable night. At least some of the doubt about her ceiling has now been removed.

Megan Redstall announced herself as a potential future star on Sunday night. A dominating performance against a very good fighter. On the evidence of her fight against Maiseyrose Courtney, Redstall will be an extremely difficult fighter to beat.