Rhiannon Dixon: "I think we will see the best version of Terri Harper. But she doesn't beat me."
If Rhiannon Dixon is feeling nervous before the biggest fight of her life against her toughest ever opponent, she is doing a very good job of hiding it.
Dixon seems relaxed as the first bell for the first defence of her WBO world lightweight title edges ever closer. This Saturday night, the unbeaten Warrington lightweight will take on the two-weight world champion Terri Harper at the Canon Medical Arena in Sheffield.
"It doesn't actually feel like it has been a training camp because it has been so long," Dixon told me over Zoom. Multiple changes of date and venue have extended the preparation of both fighters. Dixon has made the most of that additional time.
"Initially, we were sparring with Kellie Harrington over in Ireland and then with Chantelle Cameron, and then, ever since then, it has been getting better and better. It was just a good experience getting rounds in with the likes of Kellie and Chantelle, I have also been sparring with Hannah Robinson as well."
Harper undoubtedly represents the biggest challenge yet for a fighter who turned professional in 2019 with just a handful of white-collar fights to her name. Dixon knows what Harper brings and has stepped things up in readiness for her eleventh professional fight.
"I have changed a few things up for this fight. I used to do all my strength and conditioning myself. But I have been working with a strength and conditioning coach in Liverpool. My fitness is a lot better now. I have also had much better sparring this time. We struggled to get sparring for the last fight. I have found another level in this camp"
Originally intended to be the supporting act to the likes of Dalton Smith and Johnny Fisher, the injuries to Smith and Fisher have resulted in Dixon vs. Harper being promoted to main event status. Something for which the reigning WBO champion is incredibly grateful for.
"Everything happens for a reason, and it is a real privilege to headline," Dixon says. "Some people will go through their entire career without headlining, even though they deserve it. But I have been given the opportunity to headline and get all this publicity because of it. Now, it's time to shine."
Dixon will land in firm Terri Harper territory on Saturday. She knows that the boos will come, but it's not something that she seems particularly concerned about. "I'll find it funny. Stuff like that doesn't faze me." Dixon says about the prospect of being heavily booed on Saturday night.
The war of words. The mind games. The usual cocktail of tricks that engulfs a fight week is in play. The Harper camp saying Dixon has been forced into fighting the Denaby fighter brought a firm response from the unbeaten lightweight "It's bullshit," Dixon says of that suggestion. "How can I get forced into a voluntary defence? They are just trying to say Matchroom didn't have anything else for me. But it really should be, who is Terri going to fight at lightweight? They have said that we have all had fights where we are backed into a corner when we have had to take a fight. But I haven't. Are they just speaking from their own experience?"
Experience has been a key word in the build-up to the fight, with Harper believing her greater experience will be a vital ingredient in the fight. But the Harper inner circle has also added the narrative that Dixon has not yet been in a dog fight. Something that Dixon seemingly relishes.
"This is what I've wanted. I've wanted a dog fight. But every time Terri has had a dog fight, look what has happened to her? I just think they are filing her with fake self-confidence. But reality will hit when we are in the ring."
Harper once held world baubles at super-featherweight. After losing to Alycia Baumgardner, she eventually landed at super-welterweight. Harper won a version of the world title at 154, but her performances were mixed. After the one-sided defeat to Sandy Ryan in March, the Harper team cited a big size difference between the two fighters. Harper and her team then decided to move back down to lightweight, claiming that it was her natural weight.
"154 was her best weight. 147 was her best weight, and 130 was her best weight, and now 135 is her best weight," Dixon says of her opponent moving up and down the weights.
"They are just saying it to give her confidence. We haven't had to do that. I am confident in my ability. But you have to give credit where credit is due. Terri will probably be my hardest fight. She is my toughest opponent. I can't think I am getting in the ring with the Terri Harper who fought Sandy Ryan. I am expecting the Terri Harper when she was coming through when she was hungry and had ambition. That's the Terri I think I am fighting. The very best Terri Harper."
The fight with Harper could be the launchpad to even greater things with a possible big domestic clash pending with Caroline Dubois. "This fight is about propelling me into the superfights. I want to prove that I am at the same level as the other girls who have beaten Terri, Alycia, and Sandy. Every single person I will fight from now will have more experience than me. But it doesn't bother me because I know what I am capable of. Terri has got all this experience, but she is now at the same point as me."
Despite the claims that Terri Harper is on the slide, Dixon is preparing for a peak Harper. The fighter we first saw when she came through the pack to win her first world title before the pandemic hit the world in 2020. The hungry fighter who once had plaudits saying she was the potential heir apparent to Katie Taylor until the wheels of that hype train came off somewhat. But regardless of what version we see of Harper, Dixon firmly believes she wins.
"It's probably her last chance, so she will put everything into it. I think we will see the best version of Terri Harper. But she doesn't beat me."
There is something different about Rhiannon Dixon this week. A fighter with a point to prove. A little chip on her shoulder. Despite winning the world lightweight title in April against Karen Elizabeth Carabajal in Manchester, Dixon wasn't happy with her performance. Against Terri Harper, she wants to show just how good she is. For her toughest opponent to date, Dixon wants to serve up her greatest ever performance. But sometimes, winning a fight is all you need to do.
Photo Credit: Dave Thompson/Matchroom Boxing
No comments:
Post a Comment