A YOUNG Caernarfon boxer has gone through the fight of her life after battling to recover from a serious brain injury.

Plucky Cara Owen, 21, had just picked up a gold medal after a “convincing win” against Amàretta Evans, from Colwyn Bay, during the Market Mayhem combat night held in her home town on Saturday.

Cara, who has been boxing since she was three, and works as an instructor at Pritchard’s Martial Arts, in Caernarfon, was celebrating with family and friends, and entertaining the packed venue's crowd over her victory.

However, moments after stepping down, from her three two minute rounds, and with no sign of injury she began to feel unwell.

Her uncle Chris Pritchard, who runs Pritchard’s Martial Arts, on South Road, said: “She came out of the cage. She was so happy, and we were all celebrating her win.

“ She went over to see her mum Sarah Owen, who is expecting a baby, and was watching by the ringside.

“Cara just said she had a bit of a headache, and was hot.

"One of our students Gari Roberts, was an off-duty a paramedic and he recognised the signs of head trauma, although she had not had any severe blows to her head in the match.

“As she started to get ill, she was fighting it, trying not to close her eyes.

"Gari was able to talk to the emergency services which really helped and we had our trained medics too."

Due to the weather the air ambulance could not be dispatched, and Cara was taken by ambulance to Ysbyty Gwynedd where a scan revealed a slight bleed on the brain.

She was taken for specialist head injury treatment in Stoke, and had an operation to remove a clot in her brain followed at around 3.30am, on Sunday morning.

Chris said: "The doctors put her into a sleep, but she was woken up on Sunday, to be greeted by her mum Sarah, step-dad Robin Humphreys, aunt Gemma Pritchard and uncle Chris Pritchard, waiting by her bedside.

“She is just an amazing person, she is so strong because of her fitness, she is a fighter," said Chris.

“She recognised us, and was able to squeeze our hands and was even trying to get up which was a good sign.

“Since then she’s been laughing, and making light of the situation.

“They have now moved her from critical care to a regular ward, but this is now her biggest fight to fully recover. 

"What happened to her is not a regular event, in 10 years of hosting these events it is the first time anything like this has happened. She was just unlucky.

“The family is very grateful for the support from everyone and for all the messages on Facebook, it has been absolutely fantastic.”