Azariah Cottrell kickstarts pro career with a knockout

Azariah Cottrell kickstarts pro career with a knockout

The amateur accolades created the expectations. Her professional debut showed why there has been so much excitement surrounding her future.

Highly decorated Hawaiian amateur standout Azariah Cottrell (1-0, 1 KO) made an emphatic entrance into traditional professional boxing, scoring a second-round knockout over veteran Karla Valenzuela Garcia (3-42-3, 1 KO) in their four-round lightweight bout.

Cottrell entered the professional ranks carrying considerable expectations after establishing herself as a childhood boxing prodigy, a USA Boxing national champion and a standout in Team Boxing League. Rather than allowing the moment to overwhelm her, Cottrell embraced it.

Facing an opponent with nearly 50 professional fights in her debut, Cottrell displayed the confidence and experience developed through years of high-level competition. She took control of the fight before ending matters in the second round, officially beginning her traditional professional career at 1-0 with one knockout.

For Cottrell, however, the victory was less about making a statement and more about finally taking the first step toward a dream she has carried since childhood.

“It was a special feeling,” said Cottrell. I've been boxing since I was a little girl, so I've dreamed about this moment for a long time. Once the bell rang, I just trusted my training and did what I know how to do. Getting the knockout was exciting but getting that first professional win is what really means the most to me.”

Long before Cottrell became a professional, she was already making history.

At only 10 years old, Cottrell was ranked No. 1 nationally at 75 pounds in the 9-10 girls division in the 2018 National Silver Gloves final rankings. She became the first girl from Hawaii to win the Silver Gloves Tournament and later captured a USA Boxing National Championship as a teenager.

Her accomplishments earned recognition from the State of Hawaii and established Cottrell as one of the islands' promising young boxing talents.

She later gained another valuable layer of experience through Team Boxing League, compiling a 16-2 record before making the transition into traditional professional boxing.

Despite everything she accomplished before turning professional, Cottrell views herself as a fighter starting over with plenty still to prove.

“Everything I did in the amateurs and Team Boxing League prepared me for this, but now I'm starting a new journey,” she added. “I'm 1-0, and that's it. I still have so much to learn and prove. I'm hungry to keep fighting, keep getting better and see how far I can take this.”

No matter where boxing takes her, Cottrell remains deeply connected to her Hawaiian roots.

Her success as a young amateur allowed her to represent Hawaii on the national stage. Now, as a professional, she hopes to continue carrying that identity with her while inspiring another generation of young fighters from the islands.

“Hawaii is always with me,” Cottell continued. “I'm proud of where I come from and everything my family and the people back home have done for me. Every time I fight, I want to represent them the right way. Hopefully, young girls back home can watch my journey and believe they can chase their dreams too.”

Cottrell isn't hiding what she ultimately wants from professional boxing.

The goal is to become a world champion.

But after spending most of her life around the sport, she also understands that championship opportunities are earned through development, consistency and increasingly difficult fights.

“I want to be a world champion one day,” she concluded. “That's always been the dream. But I'm not trying to rush past the work it takes to get there. I want to stay active, keep learning and take it fight by fight. This was the first one. Now I'm ready for the next.”

Bobby Harrison, CEO of BiYu Promotions, believes Cottrell's combination of youth, experience and competitive mentality gives her an opportunity to develop into one of women's boxing's notable young fighters.

After watching her deliver a knockout in her professional debut, Harrison is excited about what comes next

“Azariah has something special,” Harrison said. “She has been competing at a high level since she was a kid, so even though this was her pro debut, she didn't look like someone who was new to the ring. She stayed composed, did her job and got the knockout.”

“She's young, she's hungry and she wants to learn. That's what excites me the most. We're going to keep her active, develop her the right way and give her opportunities to grow. I believe she has a very bright future in women's boxing.”

Full fight night results