KRISTEN FRASER will swap the cut and thrust of the boxing ring for the cultural delights of Florence this week during a five-day visit to the Tuscan capital famed for its art and architecture.
But the sights of the historic Renaissance city may be obscured to an extent by the memory of her professional debut on Friday evening at Aberdeen's Treetops Hotel.
Fraser's clinical unpicking of her Welsh opponent, Lana Cooper on the Northern Sporting Events promotion will remain fresh in the bantamweight's mind for some time to come.
The 28-year-old subsea engineer from the Granite City is the latest British woman boxer to join the professional ranks, following in the footsteps of such luminaries as Nicola Adams and Katie Taylor.
Yet, in spite of her relative inexperience, Fraser dealt with Cooper, 29, with almost contemptuous ease, racking up an emphatic 60-54 points score in the process.
Given that Cooper has been a professional for a number of years, the comprehensive manner of Fraser's success was all the more impressive.
"Beating someone who was having their ninth pro fight and who is clearly far more experienced, left me feeling good about myself," said Fraser.
"I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to match that experience but I was on top of my game by a couple of rounds in and I am relatively unmarked, no cuts or swelling.
"It was a bit more physical than I am used to in the amateurs, but I got in her face and controlled the bout with my jab, which I spend hours working on with my coach Davie McAllister.
"Perhaps I would be feeling different about it all if the result had gone the other way, but nothing that happened has put me off. Indeed, I'm raring to go in my next fight at Peterhead on May 27."
Fraser, a university graduate, had a solid grounding at amateur level, having won five Scottish tiles as well as twice being crowned British Universities champion.
But she was glad all the same that officials took time beforehand to explain the various nuances between the professional and amateur codes.
"That was helpful but once the fight started everything felt much the same as before," she said. "You have the adapt your style to the pros and try and plant your feet a bit more so you can pick bigger shots rather than flurries of punches.
"Probably the biggest difference was the feel of the gloves. In the amateurs it's a case of one-size fits all, but in the pros the gloves are brand new and are taped up.
"Forgive the pun, but they fitted like a glove. The women box with 10 ounce gloves as opposed to eight for the men fighting at my weight."
While understandably a shade nervous, Fraser was also pleased with the way she handled herself, refusing to allow the crowd and the atmosphere to become a distraction.
"I was quite surprised that I felt nice and relaxed in my warm-up and stayed calm and focussed," she added.
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