Emma McGale v. Riya Valen

By Virani MacVicar.

While I was preparing for Carla Flores, Emma was getting prepared for her own fight, against a fighter I knew quite well, Riya Valen. I had beaten Riya by TKO in my 2nd professional fight. While Riya was not the toughest opponent, we wanted to keep Emma active and keep her winning streak going while we searched for a good step up in class for her.

I know that Emma wants to fight better opponents, but Thomas, Anita and myself are trying to keep Emma calm. She’s young and she still a bit rough around the edges…and while she has the brains and the heart for boxing, the skills aren’t totally there yet.

As for Riya, well, she wasn’t the toughest fighter I ever faced, but I still remember getting hit by her and absolutely seeing stars afterwards. She was the most tactical or technical fighter, but she hit like a bull. It wasn’t an ideal choice of opponents, but it was hard to find someone at Emma’s level. Fighters at the level around Emma are either complete journeywoman, and Emma would dispatch them in a few rounds, or they are looking for a bigger payday than we were willing to provide. Fortunately, with Riya being a local fighter, she was a good fit for us.

I was, of course, ringside for the fight, along with Anita. This was just an undercard fight, so the arena was only about 60% full when Emma entered the ring to face Riya. The first round went swimmingly for Emma, as she displayed the skills that I knew her for – Footwork, intelligence and a good mix of punches. She handled Riya’s plodding, straightforward style well. I would have expected as much from Emma, given that she’s sparred a puncher like me consistently and I’m a darn sight better than Riya!

The second round…well that’s when it all went wrong and it made me think about how much I hated watching the people I care about fight. About 2/3rds of the way through the round, Riya caught Emma with a quick left hook that landed flush on Emma’s chin. Emma’s legs did a little wobble and…that’s when I started shouting because I knew that meant that Emma was hurt. The Peach tied Riya up for a moment, but then Riya was able to step back and land a flush right cross.

Emma v. Riya 1

Emma went down hard, and threw my hands in the air, my heart in my throat. I shouted loudly for Emma to get up, even though from where I was, I couldn’t even tell if she could get up. All I could see was Emma flat on her back, and Riya Valen looking down on her as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. It had been an absolutely wicked shot and the way Emma went down, it did not seem promising.

Emma v. Riya 2

The referee shooed Riya to the neutral corner before starting the count on Emma. Emma was lifting her head and looking towards the ref, but she was still on her back by the count of ‘3.’ At four she rolled over and reached towards the ropes, and that’s when I got a good look at my friend. Emma was really hurt, running on fumes. Her eyes were way more distant than I wanted to see. She reached for the ropes and used them to clamber to her feet, just beating the count.

Emma v. Riya 3

The ref took a long moment to talk with Emma before letting the fight continue. No doubt she was warning the Englishwoman that she would stop the fight if she did not defend herself. Riya was on her like a flash as Emma danced and used her jab to keep the distance. It worked okay, as Riya was only able to land glancing shots to the head along with some decent ones to the body. I could barely breathe though at ringside. I felt like I was going to explode. When the bell rang, I felt like I was out of breath.

Between rounds, I wanted so badly to go over to Emma and tell her that it was okay, and she would come back and all these nice well wishes… but I couldn’t. It had to be Thomas and Emma in there, and there was nothing I could do. I felt, really, really shitty and wished that I could go back in time and spar with Emma more, maybe it could have gotten her to avoid those punches that hurt her.

At the start of the third round Riya rushed out, but Emma just about flattened her face with a decisive 1-2. That took the starch out of Riya for the moment and she never really got it back. Emma stayed completely on the outside that round, and although she won it, she still seemed not quite at her best.

Emma v. Riya 4

The fourth round was a tight one. Emma landed a majority of the punches, but when Riya did land, the crowd let out a collective gasp. It was such a stark difference in power. Emma’s punches I knew from experience had snap to them, but Riya’s punches echoed through the small arena when they landed flush. With 30 seconds to go in the round, Riya avoided a jab and then landed a pair of uppercuts to Emma’s stomach that sounded like firecrackers going off. Emma clinched to survive the onslaught and the rest of the round, but those punches had certainly hurt her.

Emma v. Riya 5

Between rounds, Thomas had his serious face on. He knew Emma was probably down on the scorecards…again. The Astrid fight was one thing, Astrid was a pretty solid fighter, and we knew going in that losing was possible. But Riya was not on Emma’s level, and this was supposed to be a relatively easy fight for her. Now she needed to dig deep and get this win.

Full credit to Emma, she’s got tons of heart. I could see right away that she didn’t have the legs to fully stay away from Riya, so she did what she could do. She traded with the puncher. And slowly, but surely, she came out on top. Some of the shots Riya landed made me want to close my eyes and make Thomas throw in the towel, but Emma came back with faster hands, better movement and better combinations. For every one that Riya landed, Emma landed two…and then more in a row. At the end of the round, Emma landed a left hook that sent Riya reeling towards the ropes, but she didn’t have enough time to do more from there.

Emma v. Riya 6

6th round. Emma probably still down by a point. Her face was starting to swell and bruise, but Riya looked like she was out of gas too. Emma played it smart, dancing at range and landing the cleaner punches. Though Emma looked bloody tired too, she had the stamina to outwork Riya and she did. Riya only landed two or three punches in the round and only one of them somewhat solidly. Emma probably could have hunted for the finish, but she used a big right cross as an exclamation point for a dominant round.

Emma v. Riya 7

The judges didn’t throw any curveballs and Emma won 57-56 on all 3 scorecards. Well, that’s what Anita told me, because I covered my ears and closed my eyes for the whole decision being read. Only when Anita hugged me did I know that Emma had won. Christ, there is no feeling like that sort of relief. Not only did Emma win, I don’t have to see her get punched in the head anymore!

I rushed into the ring and grabbed her in a big hug, even though she was sweating and it ruined my clothes. I babbled some words into her ear as we hugged…I was just so damn happy and relieved for her.

Emma v. Riya 8

Emma did her post-fight checkup and the doctor recommended that she be observed for the night, so I stayed over with Emma and cooked breakfast for her. Emma’s face wasn’t so pretty the next morning, but I know she wouldn’t want it any other way.

Emma’s on a good win streak, but the last 2 fights have been rollercoaster rides. Emma was down and hurt in both of the last ones…and in the back of my mind I know that one day, she’s going to run into an opponent that puts her down, and she won’t be able to get back up. And I don’t know what that day is going to be like. So I have to enjoy days like these with my friend. The happy days. The good days.

Emma McGale
Emma McGale
A self admitted boxing nerd and friend of Virani. Especially powerful and dangerous working from in close Super Featherweight contender.