We want a title fight next for Tori - Howell

Team Tori celebrate Saturday’s victory over Ruegg. Pic: Facebook

TORI-Ellis Willetts is hunting for a title after the Sutton Coldfield super-bantam dominated her clash with tough Gemma Ruegg on Saturday.

And her manager Nathaniel Howell wants it sooner rather than later. In fact, he wants the 29-year-old’s next bout to be for a belt.

At the Holiday Inn, Birmingham Airport, Willetts removed any remaining stains following a Commonwealth title loss by outboxing Bournemouth’s Ruegg.

She gave a fine display of the fine arts, showing good footwork, keeping her opponent at distance and countering precisely.

Bournemouth’s Ruegg, a 40-year-old with bags of top flight experience, simply couldn’t draw Tori into the close-quarter exchanges she wanted.

Willetts (8lbs 7lbs) looked tired in the eighth and final round of the English title eliminator, but she’d put a lot of work into the conclusive victory – her seventh in eight outings.

It was something of a crunch clash for Willetts. Defeat, following her disappointing Commonwealth and WBO international defeat to Tysie Gallagher last September, would’ve placed a question mark over Tori’s future at top level.

She proved she’s back on track – no hangover and confidence high. Ruegg (8st 6lbs) played her part in an entertaining scrap.

Manager Howell said: “Tori is going to Jamaica for two weeks to re-energise and, after that, the plan is to get her in a title fight next. We’re not ruling anything out.

“Ebonie Jones is fighting Tysie Gallagher (for the British and Commonwealth title on May 23). If Ebonie wins, I’d be happy to take that. If Tysie wins, presumably she moves to the world stage.”

Howell, a former pro fighter, believes that sole defeat on Tori’s record is a blessing.

“She had to go through that to realise her end game,” he said. “We now know what it (boxing at that level) is all about. She has been there and done it.

“We have learned so much as a team from the Tysie fight – not just from the fight, but the build-up, the dressing room.

“Tori had a minor blip. It was a big opportunity. I didn’t think the talent was ever in doubt.”

Howell was full of praise for his boxer’s performance on Saturday.

He added: “I felt she dominated every round apart from the fifth when she got caught by a couple of right hands.

“Gemma came to win, we were told she was coming for an upset. Karly (Tori’s trainer Karly Gee) is really studious and really studied Gemma. He said she had slow feet and would fall-in. Tori stuck to the game plan and used her feet.”

Much bigger things now await the former amateur star.