KYLIE Fulmer says she ready to go to war on Wednesday night when she fights for the Australian Female Super Bantam Title, but really the Bathurst boxer has battled for years to get this chance.
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She has left Australia, she has put in long hours training, she has worked through injuries, she has pushed herself when others have doubted her.
But Fulmer has also earned respect on a journey which has taken her from an Australian amateur to a professional with a 7-0 record and six of those wins having come via knock-outs.
That is why when she gets in the ring at Townsville's Queensland Country Bank Stadium to face the more experienced Shannon O'Connell - a former World Boxing Council Champion - she will be ready.
She uses the words "It's my time to shine" and you know she will give everything across the eight two-minute rounds of the fight which forms part of the Tim Tszyu versus Jeff Horn card to make sure she does.
"I want to see what level I'm at when I get in there and face a champion. For me this is the beginning. This opportunity, it's the start for me," Fulmer said.
"Shannon has had her time, she's been amazing and she's done huge things for boxing in Australia. She's won a WBC title - that's something that I want - but I know this is my start, this exposure will hopefully make things easier, I shouldn't have to struggle any more.
"I doubt myself, I know I put the work in - I'm ready, I'm ready to step up and go to war."
A BATHURST BEGINNING
AS a kid growing up in Bathurst, Fulmer loved a Bernard's Bakery meat pie and sauce, she loved chips and gravy from Banjos, but she also loved sport.
Be it swimming, playing hockey, shooting hoops or "joining in with some random soccer team", Fulmer just loved fitness and training.
It is a passion which has stayed with her over the years, even if now it's more chicken and avocado than meat pie and sauce.
While she has not been back to her home city for some time, Fulmer hopes her story can inspire the current generation of kids who love sport growing up in Bathurst.
She also points to the promoters of Wednesday night's event - Bathurst brothers Matt, George and Trent Rose who now run No Limit Boxing - as an example of what driven people can achieve.
"I'd love to get back to Bathurst, spend time at the public schools, Raglan and Kelso, and show people you've got to aim high. It doesn't matter if you're from a country town, it's about what you want, if you aim big you can make it happen," she said.
"Look at Matty [Rose], look at what all that family are doing, they've done huge things and paved the path for so many young Indigenous kids.
"This fight, this is going to put No Limit on the map because right now there is nothing on like this in world boxing. This has a crowd of 13,000 people, right now in the world no-one else is doing that, Matty has created that. Hat's off to him, I've got nothing but love and respect for him and I'm proud to be part of it.
"Everyone has been so supportive from Bathurst, I've gotten some really awesome messages. You know you can't knock the country out of a country girl, so I'll be taking Bathurst in there and be proud to represent."
A PROFESSIONAL MOVE
JUST over five years ago, Fulmer was enjoying her her first taste of international success.
Representing Western Australia in the 60 kilogram female division of the Taipei International Cup, Fulmer beat Ratchadaporn Saoto 2:1 then Bianca Elmir 3:0.
That medal came after she had also been crowned an Australian amateur champion, but Fulmer wanted a change.
"I basically sat in Taipei and flipped a coin - it was 'Right do I go home with the Australian team or book a one way flight and go to America?' I went to America.
"I had $1000 in my bank Australian, that was it, I landed in America that's where it all began."
It was a tough decision to make and even after getting to America, plenty of tough days followed.
But Fulmer made her professional debut in October 2017, beating Karen Mendoza via technical knockout in Tijuana.
She won her next four fights and in November 2018, Fulmer earned a shot at the vacant World Boxing Federation Intercontinental Female Super Bantam Title. It was a chance she embraced, beating Dulce Galaviz to claim the belt.
Her most recent fight came in Germany on April 27 last year, Fulmer again winning via knockout.
"A kill or be killed mentality, that's what it's like out in Vegas, it's totally different. If you get into the ring with they men they're not going to stop, you'll get beaten up, you have to fight for yourself," she said.
"I had to earn my respect over there and I took many beatings to do it, but I held my ground and that's why I survived. I had to work my arse off for it.
"People don't know what I've been doing over there, I'm okay if people don't rate me or they think that I'm an underdog. It's not about comparing me to Shannon, I'm my own hardest opponent.
"It's awesome to think I could be a national champion as an amateur and now I could win one as a pro. I've sort of done things a bit backwards, normally you do these things first on your home ground then you go overseas, but most things I do back to front - that's just the way I am."
BACK IN AUSTRALIA
WHEN the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States this year Fulmer - an asthmatic - made the decision to head back to Australia.
She did not know what impact that would have on her career, but she continued to train. Even while serving her 14-day mandatory quarantine period in a Brisbane hotel, Fulmer trained each day.
It was not easy to stay motivated but she did.
When Fulmer received a call to ask if she would come and spar with Linn Sandstrom - a young boxer who did have a fight organised - she was happy to help.
Fulmer began to help Sandstrom work towards her professional debut, which was to come on the Horn-Tszyu undercard.
"Deep down I thought I'd kill for a chance like that, I could have hated her for it, but me being me, I wanted to embrace it and be happy for her because she's getting her time," Fulmer said.
"She's young and she's got her debut coming up as well - just seeing the emotions coming out of her, it's good to have a mirror reflection and understand what she is feeling.
"I just wanted to see her get her time too."
With the news that the Queensland border would close due to the pandemic, Fulmer headed north with Sandstrom to continue the camp.
That is when she got a call offering her the chance to fight on the same evening. Not only that, she would be fighting for an Australian title.
"It was like good karma paid off," Fulmer said.
IT'S TIME TO SHINE
COME Wednesday night, Fulmer will get the chance to show what she can do when she steps into the ring with O'Connell.
She knows many people do not expect her to succeed, but that doesn't worry the Bathurst native in the slightest. It is something she has dealt with throughout her career.
"I'm cool with that, I'm happy to be the underdog, you know you've just got to have more determination to push through that. I feel like now I've done the hard yards, it's my time to shine and to show people what I've been doing over there," she said.
"I want to step up and take my opportunity to keep moving forward.
"I've been in the ring with many multiple world champions, in Las Vegas and all over the world and also gone five rounds with Helen Joseph, the girl that knocked Shannon out in Brisbane [in 2017].
"I went to Ghana and had a fight with her as an amateur before I even turned pro, I got in there and did five rounds of war with Helen Joseph.
"A few years later she came out to Australia and knocked Shannon out. Like I don't compare fights, but I know I've been in the ring with some of the toughest female and male competitors out there."
Fulmer is well prepared, now it's time to shine.
