Shelley Watts using ABIA women’s world boxing championships for prep and research before Rio
BOXER Shelley Watts has Rio in her sights, even the world championships are taking a back seat.
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BOXER Shelley Watts knows how she performs when fully fit and focused and has a Commonwealth Games gold medal and a ticket to Rio to prove it.
But the fighter bidding to become Australia’s first Olympic boxing gold medallist admits even she may surprise herself when she’s relaxed and happy at this month’s world boxing championships.
Watts is using the world tiles in Kazakhstan more as a reconnaissance mission than a medal chase after bringing herself to a peak to qualify for the Olympics in April.
“I’m competing but I’m not taking it seriously,’’ she said.
But while the Rio-bound boxer hasn’t targeted the world championships for success, she could be interested to see how she performs without pressure.
“Every time I step into the ring it’s game on. I know it’s in my nature to try and win,’’ she said.
“So you never know what will happen. Maybe my performances will be better because I don’t have pressure on me.’’
Watts said the world championships will be integral to her research on the progress of her 11 rivals in the 60 kilo division in Rio in August.
Another four women will qualify for the Olympics at the world championships with the event providing vital data for Watts’s bid to become the first Australian boxer to win a medal at Games level since Grahame ‘Spike’ Cheney’s took silver in Seoul in 1988.
“I’ve been fighting for six years, done about 75 fights, so I don’t feel I need to fight more,’’ said Watts who does around 16 hours a week training with her bouts lasting just 11 minutes.
“This will be an opportunity for me to get more timing and accuracy down.’’
Originally published as Shelley Watts using ABIA women’s world boxing championships for prep and research before Rio
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