Preston boxer Lisa Whiteside thrilled by start to her professional career

The Preston fighter got her pro career off to the best possible start on Saturday when she defeated Dani Hodges on points at Stevenage FC’s Lamex Stadium.

Whiteside – who turned professional earlier this year after winning the Commonwealth Games flyweight gold last year – dominated proceedings to win the four-round contest by unanimous decision.

And the 33-year-old revealed the memory of the face-off with her opponent during the weigh-in the day before got the adrenaline flowing as she entered the ring.

“If you saw the weigh-in, the girl had a right good stare at me – she was right in my face,” Whiteside said. “That gave me some fire in my belly and then I think after the first 20 seconds, I settled in and really loved it.

“I could have done 10 rounds, I felt that good.

“To be fair she took some serious punishment; some horrible hard shots.

“My knuckles are bruised, but I think with it only being four two-minute rounds and her gum shield came out several times, it gave her time to recover.

“You could see the referee looking a few times and it looked like he was going to jump in.

“He never did and fair play to her, she took some punishing shots.

“It was a good debut to have.

“I didn’t have an opponent who was just looking to survive.

“You get these debuts against these journeymen or women in boxing, but she was there, she was looking to win.

“She came at me and it brought the best out of me – I really enjoyed it.

“The pro game plays into my hands in terms of what’s good for me as a boxer.

“My strength, my fitness. You have got small gloves, no headguard.

“It gives me the opportunity to really show my skills set.”