Jody-ann Weller, US-based Jamaican amateur boxer and scientist.

Barbara Nelson, Contributor

Remember Jody-Ann Weller, the US-based Jamaican boxer and scientist? We featured her earlier this year. Well, since then she has been in the ring again. Jody-Ann fought at Madison Square Garden in New York in April and won.

She won silver in the bout with her opponent who was "a southpaw with an unorthodox style - heavy on aggression, light on technique".

"I have not fought her before," she said, "but had seen her fight and knew that she was a tough girl. It was a great experience to learn from, as I reflect on what I could've done differently, to make the bout a convincing win in my favour.

"Although it is not the most important fight of my career, being from New York, and boxing at Madison Square Garden is special," she told Outlook.

Biggest amateur boxing tournament

The New York Daily News Golden Gloves is the biggest amateur boxing tournament in New York. It pools boxers from the New York metro area for elimination-style competition that leads to finals held at Madison Square Garden. Many boxing fans consider it as one of the three most elite boxing titles, along with the Chicago Golden Gloves and the Intercity Golden Gloves.

"This is a major boxing event in the New York Metro area," she continued. "Competition began in January with bouts being held at different locations throughout the New York City area. The two remaining boxers from each weight-class face off in two nights of finals boxing action in Madison Square Garden. Many world champions have been brought up through the NIGH Golden Gloves."

Since the beginning of this year, Jody-Ann has fought in the US Championships in Colorado Springs, where she stayed and competed at the Olympic Training Center. She won silver in that tournament, defeating a former 132-lb, 2x National Champion who had come down to her weight-class.

Great feeling

Jody-Ann was excited to compete in New York, but she admitted, "Nerves tend to get the best of me at home. Madison Square Garden is electrifying, there is no other feeling like stepping through the ropes for this event."

Asked what this meant as far as her career goes, and whether she would be looking at overseas bouts, she said, "I am getting great experience fighting locally and nationally. I am looking forward to great things in '08 and have begun the process to make my goal of competing overseas come to pass," she said.

She was also asked what words of encouragement she would give to the young women who were looking at her as a role model, and she responded, "My record isn't perfect. Yet, through hard work and tenacity, I remain a winner because I use every setback as an agent for growth. One must be careful to examine these situations and take advantage of them as a learning experience, in preparation for something bigger. It's hard to do, but you can't get caught up in the disappointment of unmet expectations, as that can be crippling."