THERE’S a reason why Sacha Hickey won gold at the World Boxing Cup in Brazil.
“I really don’t enjoy losing,” said the 21-year-old southpaw from Fisher ABC after extending her winning run to a remarkable 33 bouts with a pair of points wins in Parana.
“I lost once and I didn’t like it. I’ve heard that Andre Ward and (Vasyl) Loma(chenko) were the same.”
Ward and Lomachenko were both Olympians and Los Angeles 2028 is very much in Hickey’s sights after she won welterweight gold in Brazil.
In the semi-finals, she outpointed Morelle McCane, who represented America at the Paris Olympics where she was the No. 6 seed.
McCane, beaten on a split in her opening contest in France, was beaten on a 3-2 split by Hickey.
“It was probably my biggest win,” said Hickey. “She was one of the favourites at the Olympics.”
Hickey had to come from behind to beat her. “I was behind after the first round,” she said. “I lost a point in the first minute. It was a bit messy and I think they took the point off for holding.
“After that I stepped on the gas. I pushed the pace and she blew out.”
McCane was the second Paris Olympian Hickey has scalped this year. Last month, she outpointed Anegla Carini (Italy) in the final of the Strandja Memorial tournament.
Hickey went on to add gold in Brazil by outpointing Kinga Krowka (Poland) in the final.
In the semi finals, Krowka had put out Taiwan’s Nien Chin Chen, who won bronze in Paris last summer, but she was well beaten by Hickey, who took a unanimous decision.
The left-hander from Eltham won all three rounds on four of the five judges’ scorecards, and she said: “I outboxed her and when we got in close I worked well to the body.”
That result leaves her record at 42-1 and boosts a CV that also shows European under-23s gold in Sofia last year.
In the final there, Hickey outpointed Kristina Kulukhova, the Serbian who had won European Senior gold six months earlier.
So what is Hickey’s secret?
“I’m a tall awkward southpaw and I throw a different variation of shots,” she said. “I’m tricky, hard to read and because I have always been tall, I was always sparring bigger people when I was younger.”
Hickey also has an impressive work ethic.
“I’m boxing crazy,” she said. “I train nonstop. Boxing is my life.”
It has been since she was “five or six.”
“My dad got us a Nintendo Wii for Christmas and I was playing on the boxing game all the time with my two older brothers,” she said.
“My brothers said they wanted to go to the boxing gym and we were close, so wherever they went, I went. They don’t box anymore, they go out to work, but they like that I’m still boxing.”
She is winning as well.
Her only loss was inflicted by Azalia Amineva (Russia) in the semi-finals of the European Junior Championship, way back in October 2018.
“I want to box her again,” said Hickey, “but it’s been hard. She is Russian and they haven’t been to many tournaments.”
The long-term target for Hickey is Los Angeles 2028.
“It keeps us all in a job!” she laughed when asked her reaction to World Boxing keeping the sport in the Olympics.
“I want to go to as many tournaments as possible before then.
“I always wanted to go to the Olympics, ever since I started. It’s great news.
“I’m in a good place. I’m building towards Los Angeles. I’m beating some of the biggest names in the division already and there are still three years to go until the Olympics. It’s all good experience.”
