Greentree, 18, is in training for her fifth bout, to be contested at Doyalson-Wyee RSL Club on Saturday, July 22.

A national heptathlon champion as a 16-year-old, Greentree was forced to hang up her spikes after rupturing a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in her knee.

“When I was in year 11 I had a ruptured PCL, and I didn’t see myself getting any better in athletics,” the Bonnells Bay student said.

A family connection with Steve Mannix of Central Coast Boxing, at Budgewoi, was the catalyst for switching sports.

“My dad worked with Steve, and my older brother Daniel trains here at the gym,” she said.

“Steve told Dad I should definitely come and have a go at boxing.”

She did. And she loved it.

“It’s something different, and I enjoy it a lot,” she said.

“The training for boxing is a lot more intense than for athletics, so you’ve got to be a lot fitter.”

Greentree has plenty of explosive power, as one might expect from a track athlete, she just needs to hone her technique.

“I’ve got to work more on moving my head, and moving around the ring,” she said.

Her method to date has been to stand and deliver, even if it means wearing some leather in the process.

She enjoys those combative exchanges.

“I like to go to war,” she smiled.

But she acknowledged that boxing smarter – hitting and slipping those counter punches – was the way to go.

Having previously fought at 81 kilograms, Greentree will drop back to the 75kg category for her fight on July 22.

She’s training at Central Coast Boxing four times a week, and adding 4-kilometre runs to her program to drop the weight.

“When I go back to 75kg I think I’m going to have a height advantage a lot of the time,” she said.

And that means a longer reach, and another tool that she could potentially use to land punches, and then keep advancing opponents at bay.

Greentree has three wins from her four fights to date, with her only loss being to an opponent who had a 10kg advantage.

Greentree will take on Tywarna Campbell at Doyalson.