Junior welterweight Stephanie Simon had to learn a lesson in not giving up during her latest training camp.
Simon will fight Marisa Joana Portillo of Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, on Saturday at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. The bout is scheduled for six rounds.
Simon, 3-0, spent nearly her entire training camp without knowing the identity of her opponent. Simon, a top amateur who has ambitions of being fast-tracked to a title at 30 years old, said, “I did not have an opponent until the Friday before. I couldn’t even picture or imagine what type of fight I would be getting into.”
Simon resides in Sherman Oaks, California, but trains in Northridge, California, with her trainer, John Pullman. Pullman explained his perspective on the training camp.
“It was inspiring to see how she kept motivated without an opponent,” Pullman told BoxingScene. “Rather than an opponent pushing her, she challenged herself to grow and improve, and the results will show.”
While she was in the gym, Simon grew introspective and often asked herself questions about what she needs to improve on.
“It was a situation where, since there wasn’t an opponent, I started to think: what do I need to work on?” Simon said. “What are my flaws? What are my gaps? What are my limitations?”
Portillo, 21-21-3 (4 KOs), represents a new test for Simon as well. Portillo, 37, is a seasoned pro with 45 professional fights dating back to 2008. Despite being 2-3 in her last five fights, Portillo has only been stopped once in her career. Among the names she has faced are Cecilia Braekhus, Daniela Bermudez, Yesica Bopp, and Ana Maria Torres
“She has had 45 fights,” Simon said. “I am going to be in there with a veteran, and that is a new thing for me.”
Simon has title ambitions in her future, but had to behave like a professional for this camp. Even though unsure of her opponent, she had to stay in the gym, stay motivated, and focus on a fight date.
“In this camp, I was working on myself,” Simon said.
