Chesterfield's Amy Greatorex proud despite losing hastily-arranged pro debut

Amy Greatorex's opponent was changed at the last minute.

Chesterfield boxer Amy Greatorex says she’s determined to take the positives from her professional debut despite losing on points to experienced Lithuanian fighter Vaida Masiokaite at Barnsley Metrodome.

The challenges in preparation led right up to the week of the fight when Greatorex’s initially-scheduled debut opponent pulled out of the fight with just four days to go.

Nicaragua’s Wendellin Cruz was meant to be Greatorex’s opponent but Masiokaite stepped in as a last minute replacement to pose an even sterner test of the Chesterfield fighter’s credentials.

She said: “It was quite difficult, but at that point, I was just wanting to get in that ring and fight. I just tried to push that to the back of my mind.

"Wendellin Cruz is ranked 102nd in the world and Vaida is 45th so it was a bit of a jump! Our fight was Vaida’s 27th professional bout and Wendellin has had a lot fewer than that. So I think if I’d have thought about all that too much, it would have just taken over me.

"I tried to put it all at the back of my mind. My team still had the same game plan – we didn’t really have time to change anything. We found out on the Monday of fight week that Wendellin had pulled out. It wasn’t until the Wednesday that the fight against Vaida was signed and sealed. So it was quite short notice.”

While obviously disappointed with the result, Greatorex was proud of the experience as a whole.

She said: “I’ve still not watched it back, to be fair. In my mind, I can’t actually remember much of what happened…it’s all a blur, basically. We have got points that I need to work on. Vaida’s experience just shone through all the way through the bout…she used all her experience to stop my flow, which is what boxing is all about.

"She was a lot taller than me. She had a really long reach, so it was quite difficult to get in close to her. It was definitely a tough debut, but I’m proud of it and that’s all that matters.

"I want to hit 2023 head on and get as many fights as I can next year. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before my next fight.

“My boxing licence is up for renewal in April, so I’m wanting to get two or three fights in before that date if possible. It is just a case of as many as I can fit in."