Paige ready to write new boxing chapter

Paige Goodyear…following traditional route to title glory

PAIGE Goodyear, the former all-conquering amateur who carries the weighty nickname The Hammer, has vowed her ring appearance next Sunday will be her last over six rounds.

After that, it’ll be eight rounders, then 10 as the Sedgley light-middleweight’s quest to gain the same glory she achieved in the unpaid ranks gathers pace.

You could say Paige is closing the first chapter of her professional story, if you’ll pardon the pun.

Fighting on BCB’s Sunday, July 30, dinner-time show at Eastside Rooms, Birmingham, imaginatively titled “Crunchtime at Lunchtime”, the unbeaten 22-year-old is aiming to carve-up the opposition.

“I think I’m fighting a Serbian girl, but I can’t remember her name,” Paige, who by day works in the HR department of a security firm, told me breezily.

It’ll be her fourth bout – and the last two were against tough and experienced Ester Konecna.

The Czech boxer gave Paige an argument, losing by a two point margin on each occasion.

“That’s done and dusted now,” said the Black Country hope of their rivalry. “She’s a tough cookie.

“In the return (last month), I didn’t want to do the same things I did in the first fight. I wanted to work on my footwork and probably focused on it too much.”

Trained by Steve O’Rourke, managed by Richie Poxon, Paige’s glittering amateur CV has meant she “turned over” with the weight of expectation on her shoulders.

She was ranked third in the world, took bronze at the 2018 Youth World Championships, captained the England team, reaching the quarter-finals of the European Youth tournament and claimed four national title.

All that was achieved in 32 bouts.

Paige insists she’s relishing the pressure.

“I wouldn’t change anything about my amateur career,” she said. “When you start off, that’s what you want and dream about.

“You have that experience and pressure and, when you turn over, it helps you, it makes you believe what you can achieve. I went professional because of lockdown, really. I couldn’t do anything and I’m one of those people who can’t sit still.

“My coach said, ‘why don’t you do it (turn pro)?’. I thought, professional boxing for women is thriving, I’ll give it a crack.”

It has, at times, been a frustrating journey, with an eight month break between the two Konecna contests.

“There was a visa problem with one opponent, then there was an injury,” Paige explained. “Now it’s about making up for lost time.

“This will be my last six rounder, then we’ll go to eight and I’d like two more fights this year. I don’t want to fight just journeywomen, not that there are really journeywomen in women’s boxing. I’ve got that experience.

“We want to go the old-fashioned route of English title, British title, European…I’m only 22, time is on my side.

“It’s about adding pieces to the puzzle. The last fight, I was practicing things. It’s about adapting things for every fight.”

Next Sunday is Hammer time. And those guiding Paige believe that hammer will make a greater impact with each contest.