WARRINGTON lightweight world champion boxer Rhiannon Dixon shared her experiences when she paid a visit to Phoenix Fire ABC.

With the help of The Maverick Stars Trust, a charity that is focused on helping clubs and individuals develop within amateur and professional boxing, Dixon met up with the 'Just For Girls' class.

The 29-year-old former St Gregory's High School student and pharmacist went along to help out, giving the girls pointers on technique, telling them about her career, her life and what she went through as a female in the sport.

She also spent time with the girls for pictures and autographs ahead of the first defence of her world title against Terri Harper in Sheffield on Saturday, September 28.

A club spokesman said: "Fighting sports were often very male dominated but as females that love boxing we knew that there were more girls out there that would love to join the sport but perhaps lacked the confidence to walk into a busy mixed class!

"It was an amazing turnout and the girls left with a new sense of belief and a freshly lit fire in their bellies! It was an absolutely fantastic morning and we are very honoured to have had a world champ in the gym inspiring our girls!"

The class is designed to give girls a chance to build their fitness, technique and confidence in a fighting sport with a female coach before moving on to mixed classes.

The class has been running for around nine weeks and between 10 to 15 girls attend each week, with three of those having now progressed onto the mixed classes.