Every champion dreams of proving they belong against the very best.
For Australia’s Kaye Scott, that dream took a huge step closer to becoming a reality late last week.
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The unified world middleweight champion has landed the biggest fight of her career, with confirmation she will defend her titles against arguably the greatest female boxer of all time, American Claressa Shields, in Atlanta, Georgia on August 15.
It is the type of opportunity that comes around once in a lifetime – if it comes at all.
Shields is the most decorated woman in boxing history and the first boxer, male or female, to become an undisputed champion in three weight divisions during the four-belt era.
Now reigning as the undisputed heavyweight champion, the undefeated US superstar enters the bout as a heavy favourite for good reason.
But Scott — who at 42 is 11 years older than her fancied opponent — is convinced she can produce one of the greatest upsets in Australian boxing history.
“When you look at her accolades as a professional, and as an amateur, you can’t deny she is a fantastic fighter,” Scott told Fox Sports Australia.
“But I don’t look at her like Usain Bolt in the sense that I would never be able to run that fast.
“I look at her as a really big challenge who, if I can bring the A-plus version of myself, I feel like I could go toe to toe against and keep my belts.”
The Aussie continued, “I’m all about challenging myself. I’ve become a unified world champion with that attitude and self-belief – it’s a very powerful tool.”
When news of the fight broke last week, much of the conversation on social media boiled down to one question: Who is Kaye Scott?
Others took aim at her age, joking that the veteran has no business sharing the ring with the so-called GWOAT.
“I don’t care that much about what they think,” Scott declared. “The old me would care, but I actually laugh at it now. I’ve seen people online saying, ‘Who is this grandma?’
“It just makes me chuckle. I’ve always been the older fighter, so it’s never really been a big issue.
“I train alongside people like Sammy Goodman and the other 20-year-old guys, and I’m right there with them. I know age isn’t a barrier for me.”
One of the reasons why Scott has peaked late in boxing is because she started late in the sport – which had a lot to do with women being banned from fighting in NSW between 1986 and 2009.
She insists she’s never felt better than she does right now.
“[Some fans] don’t know much about my background, they don’t know my story, so I understand if they just look on BoxRec and go, ‘Oh, my god, she’s had seven fights, why is she getting in there with Claressa?’
“I’ve had seven pro fights, but I am also a unified world champion.”
A further source of confidence for the Sydneysider comes from familiarity – she’s actually shared the ring with Shields before in sparring, early in the American’s career.
Scott believes that encounter about a decade ago gave her an invaluable look at the pace, power and skill of the US legend – while also proving to herself that she could hang.
Indeed, the Australian has also “moved around with” current world champions Oshae Jones and Mikaela Mayer.
“[Claressa’s] someone you look up to and go, ‘Wow, I’d love to be able to achieve that,’ but she’s not someone I put on a pedestal,” says Scott.
“She’s just a normal person who is a very good athlete. And everyone can be beaten, including her. I’m ready to shock the world.”
When asked what she remembered most from the sparring session with Shields, Scott says it was just the added belief it gave her.
“It was only one time, and she had turned pro by then, and they actually asked for me to spar. I think we did, like, six rounds, but I was competitive in there with her the whole time.
“It’s not like the sparring stopped or anything like that – we both got each other with shots. I think it was in 2016, 2017, a long time ago now.”
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While the chance-of-a-lifetime bout against Shields is currently her sole priority, Scott admitted she would be open to revisiting a domestic rivalry, in the form of a trilogy fight against Queenslander and fellow title-holder Desley Robinson, depending on their upcoming results.
The pair have split their previous two meetings, with Robinson responsible for Scott’s only professional loss.
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“I do think there will be a trilogy,” she said.
“Hopefully, I keep my belts, she keeps her belts, and then that third fight is pretty much guaranteed.”