“I Gave It My All” — Larissa Godrich Reflects on Professional Debut Victory
Larissa “Lethal” Godrich is already looking ahead after making a winning start to her professional boxing career.
The 27-year-old Mpumalanga fighter defeated Gauteng’s Chantelle Joubert by unanimous decision in a four-round catchweight bout at the Women in Boxing Series at Paris Pub and Restaurant on Saturday.
The victory was one of the highlights of the Boxing South Africa (BSA) tournament, promoted by Rise Promotions in partnership with the Mpumalanga Department of Culture, Sports and Recreation, with support from Paris Pub and Restaurant and Dipaleseng Local Municipality.
For Godrich, the result was the reward for months of hard work.
“I can’t really describe it. You put in so much hard work, and I’m so glad it paid off,” Godrich said. “It shows what we have been working towards. I really gave it my all. My coach asked me how badly I wanted it, and I had to prove to him just how much I wanted that victory.”
‘You Don’t Know What to Expect’
Godrich admitted that stepping into the professional ranks for the first time brought a different level of pressure, particularly as she had no previous professional experience.
“I was very anxious because you don’t know what to expect. It’s your professional debut, and it’s not like the other fights. It’s professional, so you need to look and act professional,” she said.
Her preparations were made even more challenging by difficulties in finding a suitable opponent at her weight. Godrich said she had to lose additional kilos to make the fight happen.
“It was tough, and there were moments when I wanted to give up. We were struggling to find a fighter in my weight class, so I had to lose a few extra kilos. But we pushed through.”
Godrich is managed by McAusland Management Company, founded and run by award-winning manager Coleen McAusland, and she credited the team with playing an important role in her development.
“Working with Coleen has been very helpful. She has arranged great sparring for me and has really put me out there. I’m so grateful to her and her team because you can’t go far in boxing without a good manager.”
Godrich Already Targeting October Return
Rather than simply savouring her debut victory, Godrich is already focused on the next step in her career.
“I’m very inspired. We’re already looking at a fight in October, and hopefully that will happen,” she said.
The Mpumalanga boxer wants to stay active as she looks to build her professional record and climb the rankings.
“I want to take as many fights as I can to climb the ranks because I’m also not getting any younger. I’m 27, so I need to act now. Otherwise, I’m going to sleep on myself. We’re going to push from here.”
For now, Godrich can reflect on a successful professional debut — but judging by her ambitions, the unanimous decision over Joubert may prove to be only the beginning.
Larissa Godrich Reflects on Her Professional Debut Victory (Graphics: SizaNazo365 | Image: Larissa Godrich/Facebook)