(MAY 25) Areti Mastrodouka put on an emphatic display in only her second professional bout with a resounding stoppage win against Julija Cvetkova at the York Hall in Bethnal Green on Sunday 20th May. Mastrodouka was looking to build upon her successful debut back in March and did so in style with referee Marcus McDonnell having to step in and call a halt to the fight late in the second round, as Cvetkova was in no position to continue.

The 36-year-old female fighter made the trip from Athens in Greece to London in order to train for the fight against the experienced Latvian.

Areti and manager Jonny Eames and trainer Alec Wilkey

Areti, nicknamed ‘The Master’ has recently joined the setup at the TKO Gym in Canning Town after deciding to turn professional. After a flourishing amateur career including a silver medal at the World Championships, Mastrodouka decided to make the transition into the pro game under the tutelage of coach Alec Wilkey and manager Johnny Eames of the TKO Gym. She won her first bout against Kristine Shergold from Devon with a points victory and was confident coming in against Cvetkova, who has previously been in the ring with some experienced fighters and taken many the distance.

Despite being only 20 years of age, Cvetkova had fought in 13 professional contests prior to her match with Mastrodouka, with 2 wins, 10 losses and 2 draws.

The action commenced shortly after 3pm and the female match up in the featherweight division was scheduled for 6x2 minute rounds and was to be the second bout of the afternoon. A packed crowd took to their seats at the York Hall on what was set to be a great Sunday of live boxing, with the 8 fight card featuring some good match ups and different styles.

The first round got off to a slow start with a cagey first minute as both fighters fathomed the style of their opponent. After this it was Mastrodouka who took the initiative and started to take control of the fight, finding her range with the jab. The first incident of significance came late in the first when Cvetkova hit the canvas. Although Mastrodouka threw a punch it appeared to be more of a slip from Cvetkova, but referee Marcus McDonnell scored it as a knockdown and gave the Latvian an 8-count. This gave Mastrodouka confidence and enabled her to gain some rhythm towards the end of the round and it was evident it was going to be a one-sided contest.

Ref Marcus McDonnell raises Aretii's hand

‘The Master’ came out firing in the second hoping to build on her first round performance, aiming some sharp hooks to the body of Cvetkova which looked to be taking their toll on the smaller Latvian. Southpaw Mastrodouka was keeping her opponent on the back foot and landing some scoring left hands and after a barrage of punches Cvetkova eventually went down. She beat the count of the referee but after another slip and more pressure from the Greek fighter the referee had no other option but to stop the fight towards the end of the 2nd round.

Areti said, “My opponent was experienced and I thought I dealt with her well. Hopefully I can now get a few more wins and in the future a shot for a world title.” Trainer Alec added, “Areti showed her class against a decent opponent who has fought some good European fighters. She fought a great fight and finished it well.”

Also performing on the day were other boxers from the TKO Gym camp, including Danny ‘Cassius’ Connor who fought for the vacant British Masters Welterweight Title against Tyler ‘Tornado’ Goodjohn. Connor, who is also trained by Alec Wilkey, displayed some good boxing skills and used his jab to good effect to come out on top over the 10 rounds in a thrilling main event getting the judge’s decision by a point (96-95). Menay Edwards also recorded another win against Remigijus Ziausys taking his tally to 8 wins and 1 loss. And Eric Mokonzo was unlucky on his debut, stopped in the second round by Darren McKenna after flooring McKenna in the first.

Areti is currently seeking a sponsor in order to take her career to the next level and chase her dream of becoming world champion. If you are interested contact Alec on 07944791360.