Shannon Courtenay determined to 'come back stronger' after Rachel Ball defeat
Whyte-Povetkin and Taylor-Persoon 2 on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office
Friday 21 August 2020 13:46, UK
Shannon Courtenay insists her first professional defeat against Rachel Ball will be the making of her and she will “come back stronger than ever”.
The 27-year-old British boxer was floored in the first round as she suffered a surprise points defeat in the super-bantamweight bout at Fight Camp last Friday.
Courtenay, who won her first five fights, believes her 77-75 loss was "unfair" but is adamant she will use the pain as motivation for a targeted rematch.
In a post on Twitter, captioned 'All part of the journey', Courtney wrote: "This is more to me than just a sport or a career. Boxing is my entire life.
"Do I feel it was an unfair decision? Yes
"Am I going to let this define me? Absolutely not!
"To have an unfair decision go against me in a fight that most had me winning is heart breaking but be better not bitter. I truly believe this'll be the making of me and I'll come back stronger than ever!"
Earlier this week, Promoter Eddie Hearn said Courtenay had gained "respect" from climbing off the floor but that she would now need to "bounce back" from the defeat.
Courtenay, who did not come through the youth ranks or Great Britain's amateur set-up as a latecomer to the sport, also criticised the "negative vile world of social media" as she addressed her decision to not conduct an immediate post-fight interview.
"I haven't 'gone quiet and disappeared'," Courtenay added. "I had time to myself to switch off and protect my mental health from the negative vile world of social media.
"Sorry for not responding to all [your] message(s) and call(s) but thank you for the crazy amount of love and support I've received. I've seen some true colours in the aftermath of this but also seen that I have amazing support too.
"Bring on the rematch!!!"
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