Red alert! Peyton-Marie flies flag for Horsham Boxing Club

Peyton-Marie, known as Red, took the bout on short notice and was excited to be first for the club to box this season in what was a great learning bout for both girls.

Tilly, being the home girl, had great support and Red was feeling nervous before the first bell – and it showed as she struggled to find her range and was getting beaten to the jab from the taller girl.

The second round was closer and Red had warmed into the fight and started to look more comfortable.

At the start of the third round, both girls’ feet got tangled and Red slipped to the floor. However, this seemed to spur her on even more and she caught Haynes with some heavy combination punches.

Being a skills bout, the ref asked her to pull her punches as skills bouts are designed for boxers to learn, as opposed to an actual competitive contest.

At the final bell, both girls had their hands raised.

Once out of the ring, Red said: “I loved it.”

Coach Danny Essex said: “Both my dad and I are delighted with her attitude to boxing and how well she did. I asked her on Tuesday if she wanted to box at the weekend and she didn’t hesitate to say yes.”

In two weeks, the club have several boxers weighing in for the development championships and all are confident and eager to get started. This season, the club has 23 competing boxers and would love for everyone to follow their journey.