A talented young boxer from Oldham has made history after securing a National Championship title.

17-year-old Naomi Kalu has once again shown her inner fight after travelling to Banbury to take on the National Championships in boxing.

Intense training and preparation have been on her agenda as of late and her hard work paid off after landing her place in the finals.

“During the semi-finals I stopped the girl in the first round so that fight was exciting but still nerve-wracking as I had never competed in a championship event before.

“The final was an intense fight, my opponent was tough, and I felt the pressure to perform well.

“I decided in the second round to go more technical with sharper shots and I even threw her to the ropes on one.

“But then when they announced that I had won by unanimous decision I was over the moon and it actually took me a minute to process it,” she said.

The deserving fighter had worked incredibly hard to get here, with restrictions affecting how the boxers have been able to train, Naomi has had to condition her brain to handle the stress and pressure.

“It was a four-hour drive on the way down and during that we listened to an audiobook based on the importance of preparing psychologically.

“I’d also been reading Mind Gym in the lead up to the fight and that teaches you all about mental play.

“We use lots of visualisation techniques to ensure that we can prepare for the unknown,” Naomi said.

Working hard with her coaches at Oldham Boxing Club, Naomi loved having the support from trainers Eric and Mark who stuck by her corner during the intense moments.

She also says that she likes to ‘enjoy every fight’ going into the ring with a huge smile on her face and bowing to the judges as she enters.

Despite achieving this incredible victory, it was business as usual for Naomi who travelled home in time for college the next day and was straight back in the gym.

Looking ahead to the future, she has plenty planned for the new year, including both the North West and National Championships where she will fight for the first time as a senior.

The talented musician also has plans to develop her musical career and has produced a plethora of original songs in the last few months.

Non-stop Naomi loves to be involved in as many projects as possible and is always seeking an opportunity to put herself out there.

You can support her music here.

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