Dixon may lack big fight experience, but her trainer Anthony Crolla doesn't.
The former world champion agreed to coach Dixon during his post-retirement sessions in 2019 after receiving a call from Dixon's manager while he was on holiday in Portugal, and the pair have been working together ever since.
If Dixon defeats Carabajal, she will become the first world champion to be coached by Crolla at Fox ABC Gym.
Dixon believes that fighters and trainers are vastly different, not only in their backgrounds and experiences, but also in the way they think about training, which is one of the reasons their partnership works so well.
“I'm very self-critical and I'll walk away and say, 'This is the worst sparring of my life,'” she says.
“Ali’s like, ‘What are you doing?’ and I point out this and this and this.
“Then he'll say, 'You did everything I asked,' but I'd say, 'Pathetic,' and have to hang my head in shame.”
Crolla admits that Dixon's laid-back demeanor compared to Dixon's “military” approach may give her “kittens,” but the contrast elevates her as a fighter. However, he has also grown from what he has learned from Joe Gallagher as a coach. The man who led him to a world title.
“Joe was very meticulous,” he says. “Honestly, I'll never be as meticulous as Joe, but I do my best to study my opponents.
“The team here will watch the game and then discuss tactics with Rhiannon. It's great to be recognized as a coach, but I'm grateful to the team around me.”