Shona Whitwell & The Need For a British Super-Featherweight Title

Shona Whitwell & The Need For a British Super-Featherweight Title

There have been frustrations, and plenty of them, since Shona Whitwell decided to turn professional after a hugely successful amateur career. A seven-time national champion. Multiple medals representing her country. Whitwell was hopeful her amateur successes would have given her a helping hand in the pro ranks.

But it didn’t quite happen for her. Broken promises. Promotional contracts that never came to fruition. Fights that didn’t materialise. Thankfully, her professional career has finally found some semblance of momentum.

Whitwell is now unbeaten in four fights and coming off three inside the distance victories. The latest of those wins came on Sunday in Brentwood, Essex. In what can be described as her first ‘live’ opponent in the pro ranks, Whitwell impressed by dominating and stopping the Malaga-based Victoria Lomax in four rounds. It was the type of performance that more than hinted at what we can expect from the unbeaten super-featherweight prospect. The 28-year-old is clearly ready for another step up in competition.

Despite that somewhat slow start to her professional career, Whitwell can now look forward with plenty of confidence that business will pick up for her. There are a plethora of domestic opponents seemingly ready and waiting for her, according to the Boxrec British super-featherweight rankings.

1: Jade Pearce
2: Jade Burden
3: Jessica Hone
4: Amy Andrew
5: Shona Whitwell
6: Lillie Winch
7: Kirsty Hill
8: Bianca Johnson
9: Liv Holmes
10: Linzi Buczynskyj

Whitwell sits at the midpoint in those rankings. Ideally placed to have a series of fights against any of the fighters directly above or below her. I am never a lover of promoters importing fighters from abroad, where there are plenty of worthwhile domestic opponents available. This is such a case. If ever a division needs and deserves a British title creating, it’s this one. With the greatest respect to previous British titles on the female side of the sport, a Lonsdale belt in the super-featherweight division would at least be defended on a regular basis. Previous British titles in the featherweight and welterweight ranks, for example, felt more like a token gesture rather than any desire to build something. The 130-pound division has a plethora of domestic contenders ready and waiting. If a British title is created, it will be defended. Which is surely the point of any title. Otherwise, what is the actual point?

The new Commonwealth champion, Jade Pearce, would be a good place to start for the inaugural British super-featherweight title. Either Jade Burden or Jessica Hone would be more than worthy of being in the opposite corner.

Shona Whitwell has made no secret of her desire to one day fight for a British title. Hopefully, that time is fast-approaching. Whitwell will likely return on the next Top Tier show in October at the York Hall in London. The choice of opponent could be telling.

Whitwell might need, or prefer, to have another fight before progressing to fights with fighters ranked above her on the Boxrec rankings. Kirsty Hill would tick many boxes in my opinion in that regard. Hill (7-4) is a former Commonwealth champion, who is coming off two points defeats to Jade Pearce. Hill would be a step up from Lomax and would be a useful comparison for Whitwell. Could she do any better against Hill than Pearce did? Of course, Kirsty Hill would bring her own ambitions to any fight between the pair. Add some kind of belt to the mix, and it makes it worthwhile for both fighters.

Time will tell who Shona Whitwell fights next, and if the British Boxing Board of Control do think logically and create a British title for the super-featherweight division. Whitwell is part of an exciting brigade of British fighters in the 130-pound ranks. All they need is something to fight for. Why is that so hard?