When Shannon Courtenay went to the Haringey Box Cup 12 months ago it was as an interested spectator. Fast forward a year and the Watford-born fighter has returned a champion.

It has been an incredible year for the Abbots Langley resident, who with no real boxing pedigree in her family took up a sport which would not be considered a natural fit for a young woman. What has followed since has been a remarkable debut season, culminating in success at Alexandra Palace.

The 21-year-old amateur joined Finchley ABC last year and on Sunday capped her first year in the ring by landing gold in the Under-57kg women’s category, beating Farah Jamil of Bellahouston.

“It has not quite sunk in yet,” admitted Courtenay. “I am still buzzing to be honest. I did not really expect to end up on such a high. To win a gold medal at the biggest amateur competition in my first season, I am absolutely buzzing.

“I entered thinking I might have had a chance but really to see what the other girls would be like. It was completely different to anything I am used to.”

Explaining how she fell into boxing, Courtenay said: “I went to the same tournament last year and I just feel in love with the sport. I thought to myself, ‘I could do this’. I weighed 75kg and needed to lose weight so I joined Finchley ABC and found I had quite a knack for it.

“My granddad is into boxing and it’s always been something my family were into but no-one has fought and no-one had really been into it as much as I have.”

Now in its seventh year, the Haringey Box Cup is the biggest amateur boxing competition in Europe, attracting more than 300 male and female fighters. Stretched over a weekend, competitors have little in the way of rest and recovery time between bouts – something alien to Courtenay.

“When I have fought previously I have had weeks and weeks to recover,” she said. “It was not too bad but the main problem is you can’t re-fuel properly because you have to weigh in every morning. After the semi-final I was so buzzing I just wanted to go in and fight straight away, though.”

It was only as recently as 2012 Nicola Adams became the first woman to win an Olympic boxing medal when she took gold in the London Games.

In three short years the women’s sport has seen a rapid growth and Courtenay highlights the work of the 32-year-old Leeds bantamweight in making what is traditionally a patriarchal sport more welcoming for would-be female fighters.

She explained: “She (Adams) has transformed the sport for people like me. Now they are putting so much money into and it is helping raise the profile and everyone in the sport.”

And Courtenay says she has not faced many obstacles on her journey so far.

“Some people can be funny about it and people will often agree to fight and then pull out,” she explained. “It is not a normal thing but women’s boxing is definitely on the up.”

Courtenay is aiming to represent England next year and despite a brief amateur career to date, she has caught the eye of renowned promoter Eddie Hearn, who messaged her on the morning of her final bout and after her success to pass on his congratulations.

“It meant a lot,” she said. “He quite often sends messages and even on the morning of the fight, when he was in America with one of his fighters, he took the time out of his day to wish me good luck.”

  • Shannon is sponsored by FMS Recovery, who she would like to thank for their support in her success.