Katie Barker has vowed to return to the ring a stronger fighter after her journey to the World Championships came to a halt.
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The Hamilton boxer lost her bout to Astryd Carmelo, who will now go to India for the championships in November, at last week’s selection event at Perth.
"At first its very devastating as you put weeks and weeks of hard work into preparing for a fight and then for it to be all over is very deflating," Barker said.
"But you give yourself a few days and the determination to comeback even stronger sets in.
"It’s another fight under my belt, which is more experience, and even though it’s a loss I think you learn more than from a win. Specifically what you need to work on.”
The 25-year-old said not having long-time coach Ray ‘Mocka’ McIntosh in her corner, due to attending a family friend’s wedding, was a challenge.
"It was my first solo trip away which put me right out of my comfort zone," she said.
"Mocka is normally my security blanket, so to not have him there was really hard, but it forced me to be really independent.”
McIntosh said he was proud of his leading female boxer and confident she would bounce back.
"She’s up for the challenge and her training leading up to it was spot on," he said.
"She went to Perth with confidence and the girl that beat her won the whole series, so she can take that away.
"It's good for her, it's all experience and as I tell her a loss is more gain.”
Barker returns to training with McIntosh next week.