Jane's Jamaican adventure

Jane's trip to Jamaica was eventful at the very least

BBC Sport Online's columnist Jane Couch recounts her recent trip to Jamaica, a part of the world not known for its burgeoning fight trade...

First to the gossip - while I was over in Jamaica, I bumped into Lennox Lewis and some of his team.

From what Lennox told me, he should get his rematch against Hasim Rahman on 10 November.

I had gone to Jamaica on fairly short notice for a fight with Sharaka Witherspoon, the sister-in-law of Tim Witherspoon who beat Frank Bruno some years ago.

The fight was historical because it was the first time in Jamaica that female professional boxing had been seen.

The Jamaican people's attitude to me was weird - They told me 'to just bring it'.

I could not tell whether the promotion was disorganised or just plainly not organised at all

Jane Couch

The local paper said 'Jane Couch on fire' - that was after they mopped the ring because it rained for two hours before the fights started.

I could not tell whether the promotion was disorganised or just plainly not organised at all.

Just to give you a little background to this - my manager Tex Woodward and myself got a call from a Jamaican promoter who I once met in Atlantic City to tell us about the promotion and whether we were interested in taking the fight.

Despite the hurried nature of how we got out there, it was really low-key after we arrived.

When I got there, I found that the ring was set up on the beach!

I had only fought five weeks previous so this was just to keep me active.

But if I had known what it would it be like, I am not sure I would have taken the fight.

We had to accept a pay cut to get into the ring - I was supposed to have received $2000 for the fight, but had to settle for $1000

Jane Couch

It was a 23-hour journey from England - we got off the plane and fought seven hours later.

People will say that it is very risky to fight so soon after landing, but my area of boxing it is either all or nothing.

When we got there, everything was wrong - even 10 minutes before the fight, we were not sure it was going to happen.

We had to accept a pay cut to get into the ring - I was supposed to have received $2000 (£1,430) for the fight, but had to settle for $1000 (£715).

They also refused to pay for our hotel once the fight finished.

I actually fought a good fight - the crowd was pro-Witherspoon, but I am glad I did it, because this sort of experience is vital for me at this stage of my career.

My opponent was a very experienced girl. She is the most active female boxer in the world during the last 12 months.

She has fought most of the top girls and was undefeated as an amateur, so she is obviously a big name.

I managed a points win over four rounds, although we thought it would be a eight round fight.

Christy Martin is my main target .... I had a promise to have the fight made with her

Jane Couch

As to the future, if the big fights do come along, then this sort of experience makes me feel like I can deal with anything.

Christy Martin is my main target - she is boxing on the undercard of the Felix Trinidad-Bernard Hopkins fight on 15 September.

I had a promise to have the fight made with her and as yet, she has no opponent finalised for that night.

The other option in Laila Ali, who we thought might fight me in London in September. Watch this space.