Amy Pu stood in the center of the ring at York Hall, the bright lights reflecting off her black-and-white striped shirt, the crowd a hum behind her as Marcus Eaton squared off against Paul Scaife. On March 15, 2024, with a simple raise of her hand to signal the start, she made history—becoming the first woman to referee a professional boxing match in the United Kingdom. Born in Taiwan and based in London, Pu didn’t set out to break barriers; she simply asked herself, “Why not me?” That quiet question led her into a male-dominated arena where no British woman had stepped before—not as a fighter, not as a judge, but as the sole authority in the ring.
Boxing has long been a world shaped by tradition, often resistant to change. Women have fought their way into the sport as athletes, but the roles of referee and judge remained untouched—until Pu. A qualified England Boxing official since 2018, she initially aimed for the Olympics in the amateur ranks. But when the British Boxing Board of Control invited her to train for professional refereeing, she saw a new path. In 2023, she completed the BBBofC course and officially entered the pro ranks. A year later, at York Hall—a historic East London venue steeped in boxing lore—she stepped into the ring not just as a referee, but as a milestone.
That night, Pu officiated four bouts, including the main event. Photographers focused on her, and for the first time, it hit her: this was real. “They’re not punching me, they’re punching each other!” she reassured her mother, whose worries about safety and racism were rooted in love. Pu, who also works as a life coach and hosts a podcast, acknowledges the weight of being the first. “I don’t want people to have the excuse to say: ‘Oh, she’s not doing well because she’s a woman,’” she says. “I feel very privileged. I definitely feel the responsibility that I need to be really good.”
Since her debut, Pu has taken on dual roles—refereeing and scoring fights—and in 2025 became fully qualified to officiate at the highest levels. She’s already worked on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk’s Wembley Stadium victory over Daniel Dubois, a moment that fuels her ambition: a world title fight, perhaps at Wembley again, or even in Las Vegas. “Dream big, right?” she smiles. Her presence isn’t just about representation—it’s about redefining what’s possible in a sport where authority has long had a single face. Now, when young girls watch boxing, they might not just see fighters—they might see a referee, standing tall, and think, “I could be that.”