FOLLOWING on from becoming the Amateur Boxing Alliance’s 54kg Female Class C champion, Launceston Amateur Boxing Club’s Carrie Genini (38 and mother of two) was selected as part of a team of eight to compete in an England v Spain tournament in Barcelona earlier this month.

The team flew out together on Saturday, May 4 and returned two days later.

This was to be Genini’s first international contest to be fought over three three-minute rounds against an unknown opponent who turned out to be 20-year-old Spanish southpaw T Hinojosa.

From the opening bell, Genini took control of the centre of the ring, firing straight right-hand left hook leads, but the Spaniard was quick and unleashed fast-swinging right hooks and straight left of her own.

The Launceston boxer kept pushing forward to keep the pressure on and looked for openings to unleash fast two-fisted attacks to head and body. Hinojosa found herself constantly backed to the ropes however still finding the odd success with solid left hands of her own.

The second round saw Genini up the pace and stay in the face of the Spaniard with non-stop punching, giving her no time to rest. Hinojosa struggled with the pace and found herself stuck in the corners taking eye-catching right hands to the head and hurtful body punches and was warned by the referee for grabbing hold of the Launceston boxer in an effort to stop the onslaught. The bell concluded a dominant round for the English girl.

The third and final round saw Genini continue with her unrelenting work-rate with her opponent now struggling badly to fend off the two-fisted attacks and at times was close to the referee intervening to give standing counts. The Launceston boxer would not be denied and credit to her fitness and determination, Genini fought hard to the final bell which saw her hand raised with a unanimous points decision.

Although Genini took a superb victory, the English team lost out to a very game and tough Spanish team, 5-3.

Genini’s trainer Des Charnock, said: “Fantastic achievement from Carrie on the international stage, who trained so hard and really rose to the occasion and put in the performance of her life and proves that age is just a number and is a true inspiration to all females. The club and myself are massively proud of her.”