Megan Gordon is ‘chuffed’ to have marked her return to the ring with a win, after securing the light-flyweight belt at the Scottish Open Elite Championships.
The Rothes boxer beat Frances Heath by unanimous decision in what was just her second competitive match in the ring in four years.
Before the Scottish Championships, Gordon’s last competitive fight was at the 2018 Commonwealth Games where she finished fifth, after losing to eventual gold medallist, Mary Kom.
A broken hand and Covid-19 restrictions prolonged her absence, but Gordon is delighted to have prevailed by winning the championship belt upon her return to competitive action.
The 22-year-old said: “I’ve always been quite a hard critic of myself, but after watching the fight back I’m really chuffed with my performance.
“There was some really good stuff and watching it back I can see that it was a clear win.
“It’s good to be back in the ring, and the rust is off now so it’s about trying to keep improving.
“The belt is lovely too, so I can’t complain about that.”
It was an ‘awkward’ bout for Gordon as Heath boxed a slower style than what she is used to with her sparring partner at Elgin Amateur Boxing Club.
“When you’re in the right you’re trying to think about so many things, trying not to get and planning out your punches,” she explained.
“And we normally box with quite a fast pace, so when you’re against someone who is not your normal style it takes a bit of getting used to.
“You do adapt to it, but it’s harder when you’ve been out the ring for so long.”
Route back to the ring
It’s been a long journey for Gordon to get back to the level she is at now, as a fifth metacarpal fracture took longer to heal than she would’ve hoped.
Her injury and Covid-19 put Gordon’s boxing on hold just as her senior career started, and she feared that she might never make a comeback.
She added: “Every time it healed, it would go again at training. It’s quite disheartening for a boxer, or any athlete, when you’ve got an injury like that.
“You feel like you get to the place where you need to be and then it goes again.
“There’s always been a fear that it was gone for life.”
Having made her competitive return, Gordon is just happy to be back in the ring winning again, and will take each fight as it comes.
“Being away from the sport does make you more hungry, and it definitely did motivate me,” Gordon said.
“It’s been a long time out, but I’m glad to be up and running now.
“I’m just going to see what comes at me, I’ll keep doing all the home shows for Elgin and maybe the British Championships – but we’ll wait and see.
“It’s just good to get that winning buzz back again, there’s no feeling like it.”
A double win for Elgin Boxing Club
Gordon was not the only boxer to return to Elgin Amateur Boxing Club, where her dad Paul is the head coach, with a belt as Arran Devine became the Scottish Open Elite middleweight champion.
“Not only are we bringing home one title, but we’re taking home two,” Gordon said.
“It’s the first time it’s ever happened at Elgin and up north, so it’s a huge achievement.
“The club is thriving at the minute – it’s the most packed it’s ever been.
“Us coming home as champions is going to be good for everyone else coming through at the minute.”
