Brown girl in the ring

The fact that Brown will have the BBBC's backing when she faces flyweight champion Stefania Bianchini is seen as definitive acknowledgment that British women can fight on a par with their European peers.

Brown, who has won 10 of her 14 fights, said: "It shows the BBBC is accepting women's boxing now. It's been quite a hard thing for it to get to grips with because so many people have opposed it." The 33-year-old from Leeds, now based in London, is even the subject of a feature article in the BBBC's 2004 yearbook.

Brown's delight at that kind of exposure is tempered, however, by discrimination in other areas of the sport which discourages more women from lacing up the gloves. In fact, there are just three active women fighting professionally in Britain: Couch, Brown and Juliette Winter.

Brown said: "It's so hard to get established that most women are put off before they start. Most British promoters won't put women's boxing on their shows. Some of them feel we'll frighten fans away, others believe we aren't going to attract the crowds.

"And because there's only three of us in this country, our opponents have to be shipped in from abroad. That means additional costs to the promoter." The conundrum is that women's boxing is a viable business overseas. Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali, is a major attraction in the United States, while Brown fought before a crowd of 5,000 in Germany earlier this year.

Traditionalists are undoubtedly wound-up by Brown billing herself 'The Bitch' and wearing glittering pink shorts in the ring. She claims a British referee was so opposed to officiating at one of her bouts that he refused to do so until threatened with a sanction by the BBBC.

Then there was the male television commentator who insisted on telling viewers how delightful Brown looked in a dress and high heels before the fight while ignoring the combinations she was throwing during the action. Brown said: "The old school point of view, that men are the breadwinners and women should stay at home, still rules in some quarters."

But this 5ft, one-and-a-half inch bundle of muscle does receive positive support, too. She works as a personal instructor - disc jockey Sara Cox and Josh from Big Brother are clients - at the Third Space gym near Piccadilly Circus where she trains alongside British heavyweight champion Danny Williams and acclaimed cruiserweight prospect David Haye.

"They appreciate my skills and dedication," she said. "They know how hard I train - twice a day, six days a week - and respect me as a person and a boxer."