Nikita has eye of the tiger

A BOXING club is calling on South Tyneside to support its only female boxer as she bids for a national title.

Nikita Nesbitt, 15, is the first female fighter in the history of Horsley Hill Amateur Boxing Club (ABC) in South Shields.

The teenager is travelling to Aldershot to take part in the National Women's Championships 2008.

Hosted and organised by the Army Boxing Association, there will be 27 bouts at the Army Boxing Centre.

Nikita, from South Shields, has been pitted against B Mitchell, from Unity ABC in Sheffield.

Mitchell is unbeaten in three contests, but coaches Steve Winter and Bill Humphrey are hopeful Nikita can cause an upset and bring the title back to South Tyneside.

Mr Humphrey said: "Nikita has been training hard and perfecting her boxing skills in the ring.

"She's very positive she can take the title."

Nikita has been boxing since she was just eight years old, and has been going to a gym since she was four. Her dad, Ronnie, was an amateur boxer for 15 years, so the sport is in her blood, but she works hard and trains six nights a week.

Rebecca Black, national women's boxing development manager for the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE), said: "Women's participation figures have gone through the roof in recent years.

"In 2005, the ABAE had only 50 registered female boxers, a figure which now stands at 508.

"The Yorkshire region boasts the most entries this year, with seven entrants from Sheffield alone.

"As always, Tyne Tees, Midlands and North West England are strongly represented.

"There were 101 entries for this year's championships, a huge increase on previous years."

Women who want to get involved in boxing can contact Ms Black on (07515) 333 044 or e-mail rebecca.black@abae.co.uk.


The full article contains 306 words and appears in Shields Gazette newspaper.