RAVEN Chapman says she has her "sting" back ahead of her bid to regain the Haringey Box Cup she won two years ago.

The prestigious competition in north London will bring the curtain down on a season that ended with groundbreaker Chapman being named Dorset's best senior boxer.

She was a quarter-finalist at last year's European Championships and suffered a controversial points defeat in the last four of the Elite National Championship in May.

The 23-year-old, from Bournemouth's Arena Boxing Club, admitted she needed to return to her instinctive boxing style after dipping out of the latter competition.

She has since attended her first two training camps with the Great Britain women's development squad – and emerged ready to conclude her campaign with a bang.

Chapman told the Daily Echo: "I feel back to my normal self. I have rediscovered my sting during sparring and I am feeling really positive and looking forward to the weekend.

"I will treat every fight as if it is the final and do as well as I can. I have learned so much at the GB camps already. The support system is fantastic, you are given so much information.

"They consider the mental aspects of the sport and your lifestyle – on top of two or three training sessions each day."

Chapman spends four days every fortnight at the GB base in Sheffield, where her contemporaries include some direct competitors for England's 57kg spot at next year's Commonwealth Games – and potentially a place at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

"It can be difficult but you have to be able to separate things," said Chapman. "Boxing is a sport, you don’t have to hate your opponents outside the ring.

"You don’t hate them inside the ring… but you need to know when to switch on and when you can be friendly.

"When you're in camp it's a case of looking out for everyone.

"The sparring sessions can get quite competitive but that's always the way. No matter who you spar, or what weight they are, there's always a real edge there. You always want to do your best, don’t you?"

Chapman was delighted her exceptional talent was recognised by the former professionals who awarded her the county's best-boxer prize.

She is following in the footsteps of ring sensations Nicola Adams and Katie Taylor, Olympic gold-medallists, female boxing trailblazers and former Haringey Box Cup champions.

"I know some of the guys voting didn’t used to like female boxing, so to get the award was a really big thing," said Chapman, national champion in 2016.

"It is nice to have that type of influence on people. They are are really supportive of the sport now, which is extremely positive."

Chapman launches her bid to become a two-times Haringey Box Cup winner tomorrow, with the competition reaching its climax on Sunday.