While Dixon may be short on big-fight experience, her trainer Anthony Crolla is not.
The former world champion agreed to coach Dixon for a session following his retirement in 2019, after her manager called him while he was on holiday in Portugal – and the pair have worked together since.
If Dixon beats Carabajal, she will become the first world champion trained by Crolla from his Fox ABC gym.
It is not only their backgrounds and experience in which fighter and trainer are very different, but their outlooks on training – and Dixon believes that is one of the reasons why the partnership works.
“I’m very self-critical, I will walk out and say ‘that’s the worst sparring of my life’,” she says.
“Ant is like ‘what are you on about’, and I point out this, this and this.
“He’ll then say ‘you did all this, everything I asked you to’, but I’ll say ‘I’m pathetic’ and have to hang my head in shame.”
Crolla admits he may give Dixon “kittens” due to his laid-back attitude, compared to her “military” approach, but that contrast has helped elevate her as a fighter – while he has improved as a coach having learned from Joe Gallagher, the man who led him to a world title.
“Joe was very meticulous,” he says. “I’ll be honest, I will never be as meticulous as Joe, but I do my best to study opponents.
“My team here will watch fights then talk tactics over with Rhiannon. As a coach it is great to get recognition but I am grateful for the team around me.”
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