MEGAN Gordon is a Princess who packs a punch. You might not immediately guess it to look at her, but this 17-year-old from Elgin with the matching fingernails and toenails and the day job waitressing at the Station Hotel in Rothes is in fact a highly-trained fighting machine, set to become Scotland’s first-ever female Commonwealth boxer at next month’s Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas.

A three-time Scottish Open junior champion – Gordon would probably have more titles on her resume right now if she could find more people in her weight class worth fighting – she also benefits from some friends in high places.

Not only is her father Paul, a former boxer and boxing coach in the RAF, now her club coach at Elgin Boxing Club and one of Scottish Boxing’s pool coaches, it always helps when so-called ‘Princess Meg’ can access a pep talk or two with both Nicola Adams and her real hero in the sport, Anthony Joshua.

“I just love Anthony Joshua, I met him when I went down for GB camp, I love watching his training, what he does and how hard he works,” Gordon said. “It is ridiculous.

“I had a chat with him, and he is so genuine and all that, even though there were so many girls wanting a picture with him and stuff. He is absolutely huge, he made me look like a total dwarf! When you watch his training videos or on snap chat you get ideas from him.

“I have met Nicola Adams too, I think it was in 2015, down in Sheffield again,” she added. “That was before she went pro or anything like that. I also went to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, our club won tickets and a lot of us went down. We were talking to Nicola Adams’ mum and her brother, and hearing the actual story form the family was great. I love her too but I would probably say AJ wins!”

After years of neglect, suddenly opportunities are presenting themselves for female pugilists to turn professional. First Adams, then Katie Taylor and now Chantelle Cameron; no longer are the old barriers there in quite the same way for female boxing stars.

Who knows whether Gordon too will have those opportunities in front of her one day, but refreshingly for now all she wants to talk about is the amateur, team-orientated, version of the sport.

“I like boxing for my country - once you turn pro you are really having to do it for yourself,” said Gordon. “And I like that team element of it, how at your club you have all your team there supporting you.

“But there’s so much going on for women now,” she added. “Boxing Scotland didn’t used to do so much for females, but now they are doing so much. I think the Commonwealth Youth games is going to inspire some little ones and hopefully our next generation will be able to match up to England and Ireland, who are at another level.”

So how did a nice girl like her get into a rough old business like this? Well, as a services child, born to Merseysiders Paul and Sam, she admits she probably wouldn’t be doing it right now if it wasn’t for the agency of her father.

“To tell you the truth, I think if it wasn’t for my dad I don’t think I would ever have got into boxing. But me and my mum went down to support everyone at the club one day and there was this young boy boxing who was probably about my age at the time so I said ‘I could do that’ and everyone just kind of laughed.

“I came home and I asked my dad if I could do it and he just said no straight away,” she added. “I kept pestering him and he kept saying no. It took me at least two weeks for me to convince him.

“My mum used to hate watching me box too, but now when I am ever boxing away my family all live stream it,” she added.