SKYE Falzon has made a giant jump from the running track to the boxing ring and is now setting herself for her next amateur bout.
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Before boxing, the 26-year-old from South Durras was a highly competitive sprinter and trained at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra which included sessions with Olympian and now media commentator Matt Shirvington.
However, Falzon said, her interest in boxing was sparked at an early age.
“I always loved it, and I was always watching fights,” Falzon said.
“Then I woke up one morning and said ‘Dad, I’ve got to do it’.”
Falzon trained with her father, Jess, but he advised her to see 200-fight veteran Ken Bradley. However, her first few session were similar to scenes from the film Million Dollar Baby.
“Training-wise, I just jumped in but for a month Ken didn’t talk to me,” she said.
“I’d get home and say to Dad, ‘he just sits in a chair’, but now I can’t get rid of him.”
Bradley uses “old school” training techniques and each fighter at the gym, including Falzon, works under the Queensberry rules.
“We do a lot of bag work where as modern training techniques use pads,” Falzon said.
“Ken believes that’s why modern boxers have less power.”
In late October, Falzon finished runner-up in the NSW novice titles to Vicky Nicolopoulos.
Falzon roared through to the semi-finals, in which she beat Rebecca Belton by a technical knockout in the 60kg class.
In the lead-up to the novice titles she spent a month in Malta, training at Lord’s Gym with Haithem Laamouz who is trying out for the World Series of Boxing.
“I’m really looking forward to my next fight after training overseas,” she said.
“It was fantastic and I got to spar with European boxers, which was tough, but good.”
On December 6, Falzon will have a bout in the elite division at the Aussie Titles Selection Fight Night at The Hangar in Fyshwick, Canberra.
“I’ll have to come down to my opponent’s weight and I’m expecting her to be very fit and the fight is not one to take lightly,” she said.