Now, aged 30, Myaree’s Louisa ‘Bang Bang Lulu’ Hawton is heading to the US to take the next step in her boxing career.
The WBO Asia Pacific minimum weight champion, who weighs in at 46kg, is keen to take the opportunity to train with more girls her own size and do some networking overseas.
“It’s an opportunity to grow,” she said.
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READ NOW“We are so isolated over here that we need to see what else is out there and I want to keep refreshing myself.”
Hawton, who trains under Pep Andrikos at Gloveworkx in Myaree, won the title belt last month and is keen to set up a world championship fight in the future.
With an impressive 6-0 record, she has a 50 per cent knockout rate of her opponents.
Hawton plans to visit Los Angeles and Las Vegas during her trip and will take in a boxing match at Madison Square Garden.
She said because she is so light, she can rarely find opponents to fight or even train with at her weight. International travel opens up more opportunities for partner work and training.
Another challenge is finding financial sponsors to help fund her campaign to make it to the top.
Hawton heads to the US next month.