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Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club boxer lands first national medal

A GIRL who packs quite a punch has landed Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club its first national championship medal.

Elizabeth Dillon won the Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) Championships in the Schools Class 3 (14-year-olds) category on December 17.

Elizabeth - or Lizzy as she prefers to be called - beat Kennedy Atkins from the police's Runnymeade team to claim the title on points.

The 14-year-old, who goes to Loreto Grammar School in Altrincham, said: "I really enjoyed the nationals as I had prepared a lot and just wanted to get out there and I really wanted it."

Champ Lizzy Dillon with coach Nige Travis

Lizzy is the daughter of Watch Manager Mike Dillon and Mike also coaches at the boxing club but he is keen to stress that Lizzy has had no special treatment - quite the opposite in fact.

He actively tried to dissuade Lizzy from getting involved in the sport and does not train her, preferring to be a dad than a coach.

Watch Manager Nigel Travis trains Lizzy and under him she works as hard as anyone at the gym.

Nigel said: "She's a well-mannered and very engaged young woman and she's reached quite a dizzy height in a very short space of time.

"I'm very proud and its tremendous to have our first national champion. Hopefully, she's the first of many."

Nigel explained that Lizzy is the embodiment of the gym's principles: discipline, respect and courage.

Lizzy said: "Its not just about the discipline of what you put in your body in terms of food but you learn respect for other people and it teaches you to be a nice person.

"The moment you step out of the ring you are the best of friends again.

"The club is very multicultured but there are no different cultures once you're in there - there are no black boxers, no female boxers, we are all just boxers and there is no discrimination."

Despite being so absorbed in her boxing training, Lizzy ensures her schoolwork doesn't suffer and is on target to do well in her GCSEs, her favourite subjects being maths and science.

The masculinity of the sport is also prevented from taking her over entirely and the self-declared girly girl even wears pink nail varnish under her gloves for fights!

To find out more about the Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club please visit /community_work/moss_side_boxing.aspx or call 0161 608 5203.

To listen to Lizzy being interviewed by BBC Radio Manchester reporter Liam Bradford click here. Audio courtesy of BBC Radio Manchester - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/england/manchester/

Last update: 18/01/2012 13:23:51