Zuffa Boxing
Kayla Allen | It’s Time To Shine | Zuffa Boxing 11
After Taking Up Boxing During The Pandemic, Kayla Allen Is Ready To Become The UK’s Next Female Boxing Star.
After an impressive amateur career, England’s Kayla Allen made history when she became the first female boxer to sign with Zuffa Boxing. Now she’s ready for her professional debut, where she plans on showing the world her special brand of high-energy, high-intensity boxing.
Allen sat down with UFC.com for a pre-fight conversation in London ahead of Zuffa Boxing 11, and she was very much at ease as she exuded an enthusiastic confidence ahead of her professional debut.
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“It's amazing, isn't it?” she grinned. “It's already created a legacy, and I haven't even stepped in the ring yet! That’s already etched my name into history for females, and it's an honor, really. But now it's all about Saturday night and proving why Dana White chose me to be the first.”
The opportunity to sign with Zuffa came out of the blue, with Allen and her inner circle helping her reach her potential as an amateur, before her performances alerted Zuffa Boxing’s matchmakers, who eventually approached her team.
“It was just a matter of conversation really, and connections that we've built,” she explained. “Obviously, my manager Paul Reddy and my team – Alex and Sab Leo at Leo's gym – we all have good connections, so it was good to get that, and we took the opportunities.
“My hard work through the amateur scene, coming from basically three and a half years of hard work and dedication to the sport, it's got me to the position where I can start calling shots, so I used that option, and then we're here now. So let's go.”
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Allen always thought she’d pursue sport in some form, but earlier in her development it was always felt that she’d be enjoying success by using her feet, rather than her hands.
But despite being a budding young soccer player who had the potential to go further in the game, Allen discovered boxing during the UK’s first national lockdown as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation. Playing team sports was off the table, so Allen had to adapt, and eventually she found the sport of boxing.
“It started in COVID in the first phase,” she recalled. “I bought a boxing bag, and then got some gloves from a next-door neighbor. I started to learn how to box on YouTube for like a couple weeks, and mum was watching me, going, ‘You look quite good, you know?’ I was like, ‘Do I? I don’t even know what good is!’
“Then I went down to a local boxing gym, and did a few white collar [bouts]. Now we're here, and we’ve done GB, done England, done the Europeans, and we're here. So, not too bad!”
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It meant Allen’s sporting journey pivoted from soccer to boxing, and she seems comfortable with her decision.
“With football, I played from the age of three. It was a family sport, and then I'd done it till I was 18, to quite a high level,” she said. “It was just situational. I was always going to play football, and then a different path came up for me, and I just took it.
“I like taking risks, and I don't want to be working in a nine-to-five. So I was like, it's gonna either be football or something I can do for myself and my family that's gonna take me to the next level, and that's what I did.”
Kayla Allen 'Etch My Name Into History' | Zuffa Boxing 11
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Kayla Allen 'Etch My Name Into History' | Zuffa Boxing 11
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Allen faced the challenges head-on, and as she worked her way up the levels, she unlocked new levels to her game. Now she’s determined to keep learning on the job as she continues her ascent into the pro ranks.
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“I did the Golden Girl international tournament before, and I was like, ‘I feel good,’ but then I'm like, ‘Was I just lucky there?’ Then the nationals came, and I was like, ‘Oh, OK. There's levels to this.’ I found my level, and then I went back to the drawing board with the team.
“In the amateurs, it's a bit different. You’ve got to learn quicker. So I was like, ‘Yeah, you know what? I'm going to stick at this, and I'm going to see how far I get.’ I haven’t got very far as of yet, [but I’m] looking to go further. But it's just the first steps.”
Joining Zuffa Boxing instantly gives Allen a massive international platform on which to perform. For some young fighters making their debuts, that could be a daunting prospect. But that doesn’t seem to be the case for Allen. Instead, you get the distinct impression she’s relishing the whole experience and is excited to show up and show out for the fans watching on both sides of the Atlantic.
“It’s nice to have that [global audience],” she said. “With the amateurs, you're boxing in the middle of nowhere, really. Like in Finland, we're boxing in some random place in Helsinki. It wasn't in Helsinki; it’s like three hours away, and away from family. So it's nice to actually have some coverage on Sky Sports and Paramount +, and also US and UK fans, and probably worldwide fans by the end of it. So yeah, it's good to get out there and [be on] multiple broadcasters, and yeah, it's going to be a great night. It's going to be good.”
For the majority of fans who are watching her fight on Paramount + and Sky Sports this weekend, it’ll be the first time they’ve watched a Kayla Allen fight. And ahead of her debut, she gave us a little hint of what to expect when she steps through the ropes at the Copper Box on Saturday night.
“Explosive energy,” she said. “I just come forward. I'm myself in there. I'm aggressive. I get people out of there early. I'm dangerous every minute I’m in there, every second I'm in there. So you get entertainment, and you get value for money when you watch me.”
And even a fight week change of opponent won’t knock Allen out of her stride as she prepares to make a historic first appearance inside the Zuffa Boxing ring this weekend.
“Don't care. It’s business, isn't it?” she shrugged. “I don't care. It can be anyone. It can be anyone in front of me; it’s the same job that applies. You're gonna get knocked out.
“Just tune in Saturday night. It's the first female [fight in Zuffa Boxing]. I'm gonna create history for my country, myself, my family. Gonna etch my name in history. So just watch it and watch the beginning of it.”
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