Tanisha Devlin

IT WASN’T that long ago that two young boxers burst onto the scene with a nomination for the 2016 Norske Skog Young Achiever of the Year Award.

Just four months, in fact.

But Table Top’s Tanisha Devlin hasn’t let up since then. The 18-year-old has gone from strength to   strength in her quest to become the country’s best. From sparring with her younger sister Ebony to training with World Boxing Organisation title hopeful Louisa Hawton, Devlin has crammed a lot into the last four months.

Not to mention her fair share of successful fights. “I’ve had a fair bit on lately,” she said.

“I’ve had a few fights this year, and I’m currently the Golden Glove champion in my weight division.

“I’ve been training with Louisa Hawton and her trainer Mark Janssen and helping her prepare for her world title fight.

“I was also able to visit the AIS for a training camp earlier in June.” Her Golden Glove win at this year’s Arnold Classic accompanies her NSW state title and Victorian silver medal.

The teenager said working with Hawton had been a challenging but intensely rewarding experience.

“It was definitely good to spar with someone with a different style of fighting,” she said.

“It’s different, it’s definitely a lot better. “It’s a great advantage for me, I take a lot out of our sessions together.

“I can work off her quite a lot, even though she’s a bit smaller and in a different weight class she’s still got a lot of power.

“It was great outside the ring as well, we’d sit and have a bit of a giggle afterwards.”

Hour long sparring sessions with a boxer of Lousia’s calibre had taught Devlin a number of important lessons, including one she learned the hard way.

“Head movement was a big one,” she said. “I had a bit of a shiner after the first few days.

“I definitely learnt to make sure I keep my arms up, eventually I came good and got back to 100 per cent.

But it was the AIS camp that Devlin was hoping to use as a launching pad.

Completing fifteen training sessions in just three days was one of Devlin’s toughest challenges.

“It was pretty tough getting up at 5am on the first day,” she said.

“We did five intense sessions per day.

“We got some great feedback from the Australian coach and the Victorian coach before we left, I’m feeling really positive.” Devlin is the second nominee for the 2017 Young Achiever award. Baseballer Locky Spinelli was the first.