Shelley Watts: the anti-violence campaigner fighting for Olympic boxing gold for Australia

SHELLEY Watts only stepped in the ring six years ago. Now the Commonwealth Games gold medallist and anti-violence campaigner has her eyes on Rio.

SHELLEY Watts had never been in a boxing ring until a country tournament six years ago.

Now the fast-moving law student, a passionate anti-violence campaigner, has a Commonwealth Games gold medal and was the first Australian boxer chosen for the Rio Olympics.

Not long ago your dad Michael was the victim of a coward punch?

Just before Christmas he was king hit in a totally unprovoked attack by an intoxicated man in our hometown of Laurieton (NSW). It left my dad unconscious. He was rushed to hospital and needed surgery on a shattered cheekbone. He needed a plate and wires to keep it in place because the cheekbone had concaved into his skull with 10 fractures through it. His jaw was also broken.

I am a big campaigner against this type of violence. It has to be stopped. The first thing we are taught in boxing is to never use a punch outside the boxing gym or ring. Even if I was with my dad that night, I wouldn’t have retaliated. I’m proud to support a campaign by a former Olympic boxer Brad Hore from the Sunshine Coast that says everyone should keep their hands to themselves.

Boxing is a tough gig. What’s a nice girl like you doing in a sport like this?

Six years ago I was doing a double degree in law and exercise science at university in Lismore and I was tackled badly while playing soccer. I ended up having a knee reconstruction. I had a friend who was boxing at the time and she said I should try it just to get my fitness up after I’d had 12 months off sport.

I went to a local boxing gym — Arthur Maloney’s Glove Club — but I didn’t have any aspirations to compete. Arthur kept saying to me ‘you’ve got some talent, you should jump in the ring.’’ I said no for about four or five months but eventually he was able to weasel his way into my mind so I gave it a go.

So that was the first time you were punched in the face?

No. In my first fight six years ago (in Armidale) I didn’t get punched at all. The fight only went for a minute and 20 seconds and I was up 18-0 when the fight was stopped.

Watts became the first female boxer to win gold at the Commonwealth Games.

Do you actually feel the punches in competition or is the adrenaline going through you so quickly you don’t notice them?

You notice them but not because of any pain. When you get hit you just think ``I’ve got to come back with two punches now to get in front.’’ I’ve had about 75 fights and I’ve been very lucky to get a lot of international exposure but in all that time I can only remember feeling punches on two occasions when I thought – ``oohh that hurt a bit.’’

The national coach Kevin Smith says Australia’s female boxers have better skills than the male boxers and are easier to coach?

Kevin is doing a great job, not just for the Olympic level athletes but he’s doing a lot to boost boxing development in Australia. The girls don’t have the testosterone like the male boxers so there’s not that aggression firing us up. I think we stay a lot calmer.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a female boxer go into the ring with the attitude of wanting to take an opponent’s head off. I know I’ve never thrown one punch with aggression or malice. Every punch I throw is designed to score a point so I can win my bout.

Watts insists boxing is a test of mental as much as physical strength.

Why are you so suited to boxing?

My mental skill set is a massive factor to why I’ve been successful. When I get something in my mind that I want to achieve I’m very focused and determined. In boxing you can be physically very fit but if you’re not mentally switched on when the bell goes it doesn’t matter.

You not only want an Olympic gold medal but you hope to become a lawyer too. How is that going?

With all the training at the moment I can’t finish my law course but I’ve only got two more units to complete before I graduate. So hopefully if I can come home from Rio with a medal around my neck I can finish off the last two units in the new year.

It was much tougher for Australian boxers to reach these Olympics than at previous Games?

Yes. In the past Australians could qualify by winning the Oceania championships but for Rio it was much tougher because we had to fight the best from Asia as well. We just completed the Asia and Oceania qualifying in Qian’an, China.

Watts is the stand out in a strong stable of female boxers in Australia.

You beat some talented women there?

To make the Olympic team, I had to reach the final in China and that meant winning three bouts. My first fight was against Chinese Taipei (Huang Hsiao-wen) which I won by unanimous decision.

My second was against a fighter from Tajikistan (Mavzuna Chorieva) who won bronze at the London Olympics. I was down 2-1 on the judges’ cards going into the last round but I had a massive finish and ended up getting a unanimous decision.

The third fight was against a Thai (Tassamalee Thongjan) who was very tricky and hard to hit but I was able to win a split decision.

So you were in the final, and had a ticket to Rio?

Yes. I was due to fight the Chinese boxer (Yin Junhua) in the final for the gold medal but leading into the tournament I had a few little niggles with a wrist injury and we thought since I’d already qualified for the Olympics there was no point in maybe making the injury worse so I pulled out and came home with silver medal.

Watts celebrates her Glasgow win.

You’re the only Australian female boxer to qualify for Rio?

So far. We have two of the male boxers Daniel Lewis (75kg) and Jason Whateley (91kg) also in the team and there’s still a chance for other fighters such as Joe Goodall (super-heavyweight) from Brisbane to qualify in June at the men’s world championships in Azerbaijan. Some more of our female fighters get their chance in our world championships in six weeks in Kazakhstan.

You won the 60kg gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow two years ago. How much tougher will it be to win a medal in Rio?

Obviously the Olympics is the best of the best, so it’s a gruelling exercise just to qualify. I fought some amazing girls at the Commonwealth Games who had been very highly rated in the world. I think the Commonwealth Games was great preparation for the Olympics because it was a tough tournament but not quite the same level as the Olympics.

Who are your main threats in Rio?

The beauty of boxing is that anyone can be a big threat when the bell goes but it’s hard to look past Katie Taylor from Ireland who has been No. 1 in the world for 10 years and won the gold medal at the London Olympics.

She would dearly love to win a second Olympic gold medal. But you have to be ready for everyone because if you’re not they’re going to beat you. Only the top 12 girls in the world will compete in each weight division so it’s going to be quality boxing for the two weeks.

How long have you been supporting the Rabbitohs?

My whole life. My dad, my grandmother, my uncle, my brother, myself, my niece — we’re all massive Bunnies supporters. When I came home with the gold medal from Glasgow I was on Cloud 9 and a few weeks later I got to see Souths win the NRL premiership.

I didn’t go down to the ground because I’m a daddy’s girl and I wanted to watch the match with him in Laurieton. It was a special occasion for us.

Your dad led the celebrations there when you won gold in Glasgow?

It was 3.30 in the morning and he was so excited that he forgot about the time and ran outside into the street shouting “Yes, Yes!!”

He thought for a minute that he’d woken everyone up but then he saw everyone else had their lights on, too. They were all up watching and cheering as well. Hopefully I can bring a medal back from Rio and we can have an even bigger celebration than we had after the Commonwealth Games.

Originally published as Shelley Watts: the anti-violence campaigner fighting for Olympic boxing gold for Australia