World title fight in Germany for 38 year old mother of two

Former Kaikohe boxer Daniella Smith says her age won't be a factor in next weekend's IBF World Welterweight title fight in Germany.
Smith stressed that all her opponents are younger than her - it just depends by how much - and the age difference is irrelevant once the bell rings and the fight gets under way.
"Every single opponent I've ever fought has been younger than me, so age difference doesn't phase me, I mean, I've fought a 19-year-old before and won," she said.
The 38-year-old mother of two flies out today, confident she has done all she can to be ready for the bout against German IBF world welterweight title holder Jennifer Retzky on November 12.
"Everything has gone well, I've had no injuries in my build-up, my weight is perfect and I'm feeling very good about where I am at the moment, so I'm looking forward to it," Smith said.
She is 13 years older than Retzky but is confident she can bring home a world championships belt.
"I wouldn't go if I wasn't confident, I'm not just going for the trip, I truly believe that I'm going to win," she said.
The Auckland-based boxer is expecting the bout to be entertaining but admits she is largely unaware of Retzky's abilities.
"We haven't been able to access any footage of her off the net or otherwise but I'm expecting her to fight like a typical European, to be very good at long range, but we're all guessing at this stage - and so is she, I doubt if she's got any footage of me, so she hasn't got a clue about me either," she said.
Neither of Smith's children will be travelling with her to Europe. Her eldest, son Jordan, has left home and is working in Australia - and her 15-year-old daughter Talia, is staying with a friend for the eight days Smith will be in Germany, to allow her the time to fully concentrate on the upcoming fight.
Smith said the children were used to their mother's sport and didn't regard her being a boxer as strange.
"When I told them about the world title they said that's neat mum as though it was nothing special. They've been brought up knowing that boxing is what I do," she said.
While the kids won't be on hand to watch the fight, her dad George will be in her corner replacing her coach Monty Betham - who was unable to travel to Germany for the bout.
"We've already organised a cut man in Germany and we've found a gym to train in but really all the hard work has already been done here in New Zealand.
"Over there we're just looking to fine-tune things and sharpen up for the fight - after I've finished recovering from the flight, because it's a long one," she said.
The bout in Germany is her biggest in a six-year professional career. The fight is at 10pm on Friday in Germany (8am NZT) but Smith said that time suited her just fine.
"I do the majority of my sparring in the morning anyway, which works out perfectly for my biological clock here in New Zealand," she said.