Agnieszka Rylik: From St. Martin's Lane to Kolobrzeg

By Stephen Noble / Photos: Polish Boxing Promotions

15.11 - St. Martin's Lane London, one of the capital's high fashion hotels. The lobby furniture looks as though it might have wandered in from a fashion shoot. Knowingly kitsch and no doubt either custom made, or ruinously expensive. The staff are all ultra-hip, ultra-modern and cosmopolitan. In short the kind of hotel you might visit to meet a fashion model or film star. On Saturday night, the hotel bar isn't just for guests, with a smattering of musicians and soap stars adding to the air of studied cool.

Saturday night in Kolobrzeg's Millennium Hall, a sold out boxing arena. The air is thick with the clouds of dry ice used to introduce the fighters. A sound system is pumping out a heavy base line. The crowd is in a frenzy having already seen two first round knockouts and a brutal stoppage by young heavyweight Albert Sosnowski. A world away from the elegance and style of St. Martins' lane, with its identikit five star tourists.

You wouldn't think that many of the crowd in Kolobrzeg could move easily between these two worlds. Maybe the promoters or the sponsors but certainly none of the fighters. One fighter however, isn't out of place in either arena. Agnieszka Rylik, who just might be the person to take female boxing in Europe to an entirely new level.

At first glance she doesn't fit the stereotype of a female boxer. This elegant designer clad Polish woman hasn't the appearance of someone who's spent much of her adult life competing in the ring. That, though, is exactly what Agnieszka has done. A world champion kickboxer at seventeen, she turned professional when she realised that kickboxing was unlikely to break into the mainstream.

Not that female boxing is mainstream, particularly in Britain. Rylik's appearance in the hotel lobby hardly created the type of disturbance one would associate with a world champion. Then again if you didn't already know you would never guess her chosen profession. But be warned though, despite the designer accessories and the immaculate appearance, this is no Mia St. John. No one is ever going to christen Rylik "Queen of the four rounder". Least of all her opponents.

Kolobrzeg is on Poland's Baltic coast, in October it's a grey and rather quiet town. Saturday the 27th October, however, that all changes. Big time boxing hits town in the shape of an Agnieszka Rylik world title defence. Rylik is fighting for her crown in her hometown and the event is a sell-out. It was clear the fans were expecting a result and a decisive one too. The video screens were replaying a series of her "greatest hits", while the sound system pounded with a song written about Agnieszka.

In the event Rylik won fairly easily with a fourth round stoppage. Her opponent was unable to deal with her speed and movement. Agnieszka already has one advantage over many female boxers, particularly in Europe. She doesn't have to battle for acceptance from the public. In Poland she's clearly big box-office. For world recognition though any fighter male or female needs the complete package. Rylik clearly has the ability inside the ring, and the style and self-possession outside it to make headlines.

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