TWO fights into her career, Swindon boxer Bec Connolly says she has been on a steep learning curve as she bids to return to winning ways in Bristol tonight, writes MATTHEW DAVIES.

Super-featherweight Connolly joins fellow Paddy Fitzpatrick-trained fighters Ryan Martin and Harry Webb in heading into the ring this evening.

The 34-year-old turned professional last September and currently has a record of one win and one defeat after she narrowly lost to Kristine Shergold at York Hall earlier this year.

Connolly said: “After the last fight, I managed to secure a little bit of sponsorship from people who were watching at York Hall.

“So this time I have had a whole team around me, including a physiotherapist and a sports psychologist.

“I feel like we have hit every angle this time. I’ve definitely made improvements in camp and I am as interested as everyone else to see the results tonight.

“My last fight was huge to me for three reasons. One, to fight at York Hall is a tick off the bucket list, two, it was great to fight a good British girl, and three, it was bitter-sweet because I genuinely thought my hand was going to be raised at the end.

“It was my best fight so far and there is no reason we can’t grow that from now.”

Ahead of the show in Bristol, Connolly has also had to deal with a change of opponent.

However, that is nothing new, as she had a similar experience when she made her professional debut last year.

But Connolly says she gained a lot from the experience and now no longer dwells on who will be in the ring with her.

“I learned my lesson from my debut because in that fight I looked at the girl way too much and it changed,” she added.

“So this time I have left it all to Paddy, like I did for my last fight. I concentrate on me, he concentrates on the girl and decides what we are going to do.

“He is my instructor and my eyes in the corner. It makes the process easier for me too.

“I’ve always let him decide how the camp is going to be, but for my first fight, I looked at her and had it in my head and then when it changed, it threw me off a bit.”