Dione makes boxing history
CITY’S FEMALE FIGHTER WINS NATIONAL TITLE
A TEENAGER has made history by becoming the first female boxer from Leicester to be crowned England Boxing National Amateur Champion at under 66kg.
Dione Burman, 19, from Braunstone Golden Gloves, had a fantastic run to the final of the England Boxing National Amateur Championships (NACs) held in Manchester.
In the quarter-final, she beat Maisie Hodgkinson (Boarshaw ABC) by a first round stoppage, setting up a semi-final bout against the top seed and two-time national champion Jem Campbell (Islington Boxing Club), but she won by unanimous decision with a calculated and measured performance.
Dione boxed the No.2 seed Lucy Kisielewska (British Army) in the final, winning all three rounds on all five judges’ score cards to be crowned the top 66kg female boxer in the country.
Dione, from Braunstone, who has been boxing since she was 11, dominated the final with a terrific display of front foot boxing, using her height and reach to establish her jab and repeatedly land scoring shots with the southpaw backhand.
She will now represent England at the upcoming Tri-nations championships in Wales on May 21.
Her victory will also earn her an assessment for Team GB which is a stepping stone to representing England at the Olympics, which is Dione’s long-term goal.
She said: “Winning the NACs is biggest achievement in my boxing career, it’s the championships that everyone wants to win and now I’ve done it. To have my name on the England Boxing Roll of Honour and be the first female from Leicester to win this prestigious title means the world to me. I wouldn’t be where I am without the help and support of all the coaches at Braunstone, past and present.
“This is just the beginning for me, I want to win gold for England at the Tri-nations in May and I’m hoping that my assessment for team GB will lead to me becoming a full-time member of the GB podium potential squad which will enable me to be selected for competitions such as world championships and Olympic Games.”
The England Boxing National Amateur Championships (NACs) – formerly known as the Elite National Championships and ABA National Championships – is the oldest and most prestigious amateur boxing competition in the country.
Dating back to 1881, famous names such as Henry Cooper, Frank Bruno, Nigel Benn, Ricky Hatton, Carl Froch, Tony Bellew, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Nicola Adams, Savannah Marshall and Stacey Copeland are among the former winners of a coveted national title belt.