Last month's inaugural GB Amateur Boxing Championships at the Echo Arena in Liverpool saw a great display of British amateur boxing and, while rising boxing stars such as Luke Campbell, Charlie Edwards, Bradley Saunders and Anthony Joshua shone, all eyes were on the ladies for a change.

It was a historical event, with women's boxing televised for the first time on the BBC, and what a privilege it was for me to be invited to comment on female boxing and be part of the experience first hand.

Natasha Jonas, Nicola Adams, Lynsey Holdaway and Nina Smith were all part of the first ever bill. Not only were they boxing for themselves and their place on the GB team but they were boxing for every single one of us.

By all of us, I mean all of the female boxers who have been on a team going to international tournaments on shoestring budgets seeing that there is a wealth of female boxers out there beyond England's walls.

The long coach journeys, below par accommodation, no physio and bad food - just us and our coaches, hungry and excited to be lucky enough even to be on such a trip.

By all of us, I mean for every girl who knows what it is to train for a fight, to step in the ring far away from home with little support because travelling abroad was the only way to get bouts.

For every female boxer that's stuck on the end of an all-boys show met with so much criticism and comments that if I had a pound for every time someone said the following to me, I wouldn't even need to box right now: "You're too pretty to box", "Girls just aren't aggressive enough", "It's not a woman's sport."

Liverpool was a chance to silence the critics.

Nicola Adams, who won silver at the World Championships in the Bahamas earlier this year, finally had the platform to demonstrate her exceptional boxing skills and cheeky flare. And she really did deliver. In a bout of four two-minute rounds, Nicola showcased a range of shots in her arsenal, while Lynsey Holdaway showed grit and tenacity - although it wasn't enough against the experienced shots of Nicola, it was a great introduction.

The inclusion of female boxing reaches out to every girl who wants to have a go at boxing but feels too intimidated to go into a club full of boys - for every girl who started doing it as a hobby, a way to get fit, and thinks actually, I want to take this further.

This was for all of us.

As British female boxers we have proved to our European counterparts, who have over 10 years on us, that we are more than capable. England has produced two silver medallists, four gold EU medallists, countless bronze medallists and this is just the beginning.

I myself won an EU gold medal only eight fights deep. I was boxing seasoned European amateurs who had 70-plus fights on their records. So imagine what I could do, imagine what we could all do with the right coaches, nutritionists, sports psychologist, physics and, of course, funding. Well the girls last night demonstrated what is achieved as a result of all of that.

Natasha Jonas and Amanda Coulson, what a fight! What a great taster to whet the appetite of the British viewing public. All the right ingredients were there: a wonderful demonstration of technical skill, determination and heart teamed with the excitement and suspense that leaves the spectators clammy-handed and with voices broken.

Yes girls you done well and I felt proud to know I have been on some of that journey with you. It was also a night to catch up as us females do, to not only celebrate the historical moment but to hear each other's individual developments and progress reports - "Where are you at?" "Still training?" "When's your next bout?"

Time spent reminiscing on funny moments in the camps along the way, jibing each other for talking on the BBC now purely because this was a scene far removed from our boxing reality even just a year ago.

Now people want to talk to us and it is fantastic.

Getting interviewed straight after the fight, press politely hovering with voice recorders and photographers, being followed by doping officials to be regulated. I found myself thinking "Wow this is really happening now," - female boxing is considered a serious sport.

It's official. Female boxing is now relevant. There was a time when a female "boxing" expert who had a fight way back when or happened to do a couple of boxing keep fit classes was deemed a suitable candidate to comment on such an event as this.

Well it looks like those days are gone which is why they picked the likes of me and Lucy O'Connor, a true representation of the sport to add our honest and accurate accounts and experiences.

Lucy made her commentating debut, adding her input for both Nicola's and Tasha's fight and there was no one better for the job. Having made it through to the final GB selections, she had first hand insight into what these girls were facing - the training process they had endured and the emotional hurdles they would have had to jump. And I gave my opinion on what exciting times these are for female boxers right now.

And what about the ladies behind the scene that make the boxers deliver at ring level. We must not forget Rebecca Gibson, the ABAE development officer, for her tireless efforts for the female sport and Mandy Groarke who constantly sacrificed her free time to take us away for tournaments so we could get some experience.

Of course respect and dues are always paid to the likes of professional British female boxers Cathy Brown and Jane Couch and rightly so. If it wasn't for Jane making her voice heard then we may not have even been in these early stages of growth.

However it is a new day, a new dawn, and a new generation of female boxers that are kicking down the stereotypes and opening the doors.

Liverpool was a beautiful introduction and while their talented display may not have completely silenced the critics, the display of talent and skill was undeniable and should leave no room to question that women deserve to be in this sport.

This is just the beginning - the only way is up.

Lesley Sackey is one of the top female amateur boxers in England and won gold at the 2008 European Championships. She is also an ABA National Champion in the welterweight division and was one of the stars of the hit BBC Three television series 'Last Woman Standing' which aired earlier this year.