Female boxer Shanee Martin has been handed a dream chance to fight in America.

The 17-year-old Colchester student answered an advert on the internet inviting applications to compete in a women's invitational tournament.

But she will only be allowed to fight if the junior age limit in the States is 18 - the same as in Britain.

If it is 16, her handlers will hold her back for a year as it would mean her having to face much older and more experienced opponents.

Martin said: "One of the boys at the gym saw it on the internet and they sent me an e-mail back. I'm really excited. When I've been going to the gym, all I've been talking about is going to America."

Martin has already been provisionally accepted for the trip but must wait until early next month before she can formally apply.

She added: "We're hoping the rules are the same in America otherwise I would be fighting 30-year-olds. If that's the case, we'll go next year."

The event, advertised on a boxing website as the 14th annual blue and gold invitational championship, is scheduled to take place from September 1-5. But the promoters and venue are still unknown.

Martin has won two of her three fights since winning her amateur licence a year ago.

She has already met Britain's first woman professional Jane Couch and has been training at the Peacock gym in Canning Town, east London, where ex-world champ Steve Collins collapsed last week while preparing for his comeback.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.