No Stopping Choc Champ Chloe Fleck
Runner-up at the last edition of the championships, nothing was going to stop Chloe Fleck from taking the Ulster Senior Elite title on Saturday night – not even a love of chocolate.
The Canal youngster took the light flyweight title at the Ulster Hall, overcoming Donegal’s Donna Barr on a 3-2 split-decision.
Fleck was relentless in the 48kg decider, and would grind down her talented foe, putting in an especially big third round and forcing a count to swing the bout in her favour.
There was a visible and vivid development from the little Lisburn woman who looked so much stronger than when she was beaten by Kristina O’Hara last time out.
It’s the result of a lot of hard work over Christmas and January from Fleck who told Irish-Boxing.com that “I wanted that fight more than anything, I wouldn’t have stepped back for the world.”
“I was upset [after the last final] because it wasn’t a great performance and I didn’t really fight much that year.”
“I was a wee bit small at the weight then, I was only walking around at about 47kg, now I’m walking around at about 49kg, 49.5kg, and it’s just working in my favour.”
“I did the Esker Box Cup a few months ago and I got a good win against the Scottish champion, I think that took my confidence to the next level.”
“Coming into these, I knew, no matter who I was fighting, I had a standing chance against them, I wasn’t going to get ploughed over like last time.”
It was the culmination of a long camp for Fleck who added that “it’s brilliant for my coaches as well, people don’t think about them, but they were down training me on Christmas Eve when they should have been with their families.”
Analysing her fight with Irish International Barr, the perfect curtain raiser to a great night of action in Belfast, Fleck noted how “I think the first round was really close, she might have nicked it on me because I was just walking into them big hooks and her awkward style.”
“As the rounds progressed I was just catching her with right hands and it played out in my favour in the end.”
“If I have to take a punch to throw four, I’ll do it!”
Looking ahead, the new champ is keen to develop and build – but has some selection boxes to attend to first.
Fleck outlined how “it’s all about learning and progressing now, that’s the aim.”
“it’s all up to my coaches, if my coaches tell me to enter a tournament, I’ll enter it, if they don’t, I won’t.”
“I hated training over Christmas, I haven’t had any Christmas chocolates yet so I’m buzzing to get them in! The selection boxes were hidden away somewhere.”
