In September, Zuffa Boxing's Kayla Allen made her pro debut at the Copper Box Arena and stopped Edina Kiss on her stool at the end of the second round. It meant that Allen, already the first female signed to Zuffa Boxing, also became the first female to claim a victory inside the Zuffa Boxing ring. “It was a good experience,” said Allen ahead of her next outing on November 7th. Allen will take on Germany’s Julia Igel, a Swiss-based fighter with a 5-2 record that includes knockouts in each of her last four victories. “It's always good to get the first one out of the way, and it's just about building momentum now. I’m back out again on Saturday night, six weeks apart, so yeah, it’ll be good to get along with a set of fans and start building this ball, and keep rolling, and looking forward to next year and getting the ball rolling even further.”
Allen continued, “I don’t really get nervous, so for me, it was just more like adrenaline, waiting to get in there and just show everybody what I've been working on in the gym, and yeah, just make my family and my team proud,” she said. “That's ultimately is what the ring walk’s about. You start visualizing what you're going to do in the ring, and that's how I felt. I just feel confident. And I’ll feel confident Saturday night, as well. There’s no pressure. It's a privilege to have any sort of like hype around you. Like I say, pressure is a privilege for me, and that's how I get through all my hard times… So, the ring walk and the whole fight, the whole build-up, it all leads to one moment, and I'll be creating history for myself and creating a lot of wealth for my family. That's what ultimately will happen.”
A winning debut is always a special moment for any young professional fighter, and Allen’s first victory was no different, with those who have been with her throughout her journey all elated to see her succeed, and excited for what’s to come. “Yeah, they were buzzing,” grinned Allen. “They were like, ‘When's the next one?’ I was like, ‘Guess what? It's coming soon!’ … I was like, ‘Listen, I'll be out regularly,’ because when I'm getting people out early, and I'm giving people value for money, people want to buy tickets.
“I don't have to sell too much. People know what I'm about. I'm an honest person. I'm black and white, as easy as they come, you know? Support me, and I'll give the same back to my community and my family, and that's what it's all about. It’s boxing, at the end of the day.”
Clearly, Allen is far more focused on her own performance than her opponent’s past fights. When we asked Allen what she knew about her opponent, her answer was short and sweet. “My opponent? She's got two legs, two arms, and a head,” she said. “She's southpaw, she's from Germany, and she’s getting knocked out! That's what I know about her.”
For Zuffa Boxing’s female trailblazer, it’s the start of a journey that she hopes will open the doors for more young female fighters to follow in her footsteps. “It's amazing, isn't it? You can't ever take that away from me. As I said, a one-of-one. You can't ever take away someone who's unique and sets a precedent for other female young young athletes coming through. You can't ever take that away from me, and you know it's going to be an amazing journey, and it’s just the start.”
And on November 7th, just a couple of days after the UK’s annual celebration of Bonfire Night, where fireworks light up the night sky, Allen plans to light up the Copper Box with some pugilistic pyrotechnics of her own. “[It’ll be] fireworks again,” she stated. “It's gonna be a confident, great performance again. Just tune in Saturday night, and you'll see.”
