History, pressure and overcoming prejudice - Pu's life as a referee
Amy Pu (right) refereed her first professional bout in Poland in September 2023
"I thought, 'Why not? Why not me?'"
Amy Pu reflects on the moment she decided to pursue becoming the first professional female referee in British boxing.
Born in Taiwan, Pu was an amateur referee when a member of the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) approached her about officiating professionally. However, no woman had ever held this role in UK professional boxing before, nor has any since.
"I hadn't thought about turning professional because my goal was to progress to international level in the amateurs," Pu, a qualified England Boxing official, told .
"And hopefully one day I could get selected to go to the Olympics.
"I did watch professional boxing and what really kind of bugged me was that you didn't see a female referee on TV or at shows."
Pu took the BBBofC training course and advanced to the professional ranks in 2023.
Her historic moment arrived at York Hall in March 2024, when she became the first female referee to officiate a professional bout in the UK. Although female referees have worked professionally worldwide, this was a UK first.
Marcus Eaton's victory over Paul Scaife was notable primarily because Pu was the third person in the ring.
Pu refereed three additional bouts on the same card but was initially unsure if she would officiate at all as she traveled to the venue.
"I brought all my kit and everything and the lead referee of the night said: 'Of course, you're stepping into the ring today,'" Pu recalled.
"The photographers at ringside were taking photos of me and I just thought, 'Oh, this is for real'.
"Once the fight started, I wasn't really thinking about anything apart from the boxers."
'Give me stick as a referee, not as a female Asian referee'
Amy Pu turned her hobby into a profession
Pu grew up in Taiwan and moved to London in 2004 to study, returning permanently in 2009.
After experiencing pad work during a personal training session, she sought a boxing club for fitness. This fitness interest evolved into amateur competition, judging, and eventually becoming a qualified referee in 2018.
Her traditional Taiwanese family upbringing was protective and rule-bound, making her initially risk-averse.
"My family are kind of like a traditional Taiwanese family - quite protective and lots of rules - so I think being traditionally brought up, I was quite risk-averse," Pu said.
Her parents supported her refereeing career but expressed concerns about her safety and potential racism.
"Obviously, they were proud when they heard I was the first and the only one in the UK," Pu said. "But mums being mums, she was asking if it was going to be dangerous.
"I said: 'They're not punching me, they're punching each other!'
"Obviously, they worry about racism, they worry about a woman in a really male-dominated space.
"I had to kind of reassure them that it's OK and that I can protect myself. When I was doing training, I got told you need to be thick skinned and I am that."
One month after her professional debut, Pu took on additional responsibilities by scoring Robert Lloyd-Taylor Jr's win over Denis Hnidek while also refereeing, becoming fully qualified in 2025.
"On the professional side, I have to say the reaction has mostly been really positive," Pu said.
"During the amateur days, there were some odd comments and stuff. I think one of the hesitations I had before turning professional was also for that reason.
"I just thought: 'Well, it's a very different demographic, the professional boxing supporters', and I just thought: 'Is it going to be worse than the amateurs and with the people that I work with?'
Boxing referees often face criticism, and for a woman, this risk is heightened. However, Pu reports her experience has been largely positive.
"People have just been so supportive, knock on wood, I haven't really had any criticism directed at me because of my sex or because of my race," Pu said.
"I'm really grateful and I hope that it continues, that people should see me as a referee. They can give me stick as a referee, not as a female Asian referee."
Paving the way and dreaming of Vegas
Pu, who also works as a life coach and hosts a podcast, acknowledges the added pressure she feels.
"I don't want people to have the excuse to say: 'Oh, she's not doing well because she's a woman.'
"And for me, being non-white, having the East Asian face in the ring, I think it might surprise some people.
"I definitely feel the responsibility that I need to be really good and have a high standard in my performance.
"And hopefully I'll be able to show some young girls that when they watch boxing, apart from watching the female boxers, they can see there's a female referee in the ring and think: 'Oh actually, I didn't know I could be that.'"
Pu’s ambitions extend beyond inspiration. In 2023, she officiated a bout on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk's victory over Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium and aims for bigger events.
"A world title fight, maybe at Wembley again, or even at MGM in Las Vegas - who knows? I mean, dream big, right?"
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