Friday 29 January 2016 17:42, UK
Boxer Kelly Morgan - one of the top five women middleweights in the world - is attending the WBC Convention in Tijuana, Mexico. Here, in the second instalment of her blog, Kelly finds inspiration from a very special speaker.
This morning was the opening ceremony. The conference room was decked out with flags and full of the delegates - boxers and media.
The WBC encouraged delegates to wear white as a symbol of peace - an appropriate choice for our sport, which places such a high value on respect and camaraderie.
The ceremony was extremely emotive with a mix of speakers, videos and performances. I took huge inspiration from the solidarity and sheer positivity of not just those who spoke, but also those who listened.
I was asked to sit in the front rows alongside the other boxers invited by the WBC, including past and present champions.
It was such an honour to be alongside the very women I am so determined to emulate!
So imagine how I felt when the compere - world famous ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jnr - called out "A top contender & future star - please welcome professional boxer... Kelly Morgan!" I almost fell off my chair!
The memory will remain with me for the rest of my life, but was only the first of many during the day.
Others included Jill Diamond Chastain, who gave a really powerful speech including the line "gender should never be an obstacle to passion and talent".
This quote sums up the feeling behind this convention and is being reinforced by men and women from across the boxing world here in Mexico.
The WBC motto is "Hope and Glory" - and the opening ceremony gave me more than hope, it gave me the firm belief that things are changing.
Towards the end of the ceremony, Lonnie Ali, Muhammad Ali's wife, was awarded an honorary WBC belt in recognition of her humanitarian work.
Lonnie gave a speech about the difficulties her family experienced when her step daughter, Laila Ali, decided to pursue her boxing dreams.
Lonnie admitted that initially this was a boundary too far for herself and Muhammad Ali - even though they are two people who have been used to breaking down boundaries their entire lives.
To hear how both Lonnie and Muhammad Ali's minds were turned around by their experience of female boxing through their daughter's achievements was fantastic.
Lonnie Ali gave special mention to the closeness between female fighters, calling them: "The Sisterhood".
To hear such a famous name echoing my initial instincts was, once again, an inspiration - and another example of hope giving way to belief, as I consider the bigger picture of female professional boxing.
This was all backed up by my experience with super-middleweight world champion Nikki Adler. We met at breakfast for the first time but she greeted me straightaway with an almighty hug.
Speaking with Nikki throughout the day has only further demonstrated the humility of my fellow boxers and that "sisterhood" that Lonnie Ali referenced.
I firmly believe Nikki and I will meet in the ring at either middle or super middleweight - and we will share not just a competitive history, but also a boxing bond for many years.
Tomorrow is all about health as a panel designed to help us during and after our boxing years will be on stage.
There will be a series of medical specialists and business talks about how to increase our earning power.
Both subjects are bound to create much passionate discussion before the day concludes with the WBC awards dinner - I look forward to reporting back!
