Lia Lewandowski fought to be taken seriously. Now, she’s locked in on her pro boxing debut.

For Lia Lewandowksi, the fight doesn’t end when the bell rings.

The Drexel graduate continues to battle the stereotypes that come with being a woman in a male-dominated sport. And she’ll make her professional boxing debut Saturday at 2300 Arena.

“As a female fighter, you don’t get taken seriously,” Lewandowski said. “A lot of people think when females come into a fight room, they just want to do it for cardio, self defense, and never compete. There were a lot of stereotypes placed against me.”

Lewandowski has been training for about four years. She started in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at South Jersey Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and to compete in MMA, but she turned her attention to boxing after she met her current boxing coach, Milton Davis.

Davis — a former pro boxer out of Cleveland, Ohio — has been training fighters since 1995. The first thing that stood out to him about the flyweight Lewandowski was her height (5-foot-7) for her weight class. But he soon realized the main trait that would take her far in boxing was her heart and determination to become what he considers a “world hero.”

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Lewandowski remembers Davis put her through a “test of heart” before they started training. He paired her with one of her guy friends to spar at a gym in Atlantic City. Lewandowski was outclassed and said her footwork was awful at the time.

But instead of telling her opponent to take it easy on her, Davis told him to push the pace. She may have not looked the best in the ring that day, but she never gave up.

“Anybody can hit the heavy bag. Anybody can hit pads and try to look good,” Davis said. “You need heart. That’s why I test their heart and put them in there with someone I know is going to push the pace. She showed that she’s not someone who wants to be a local hero. She’s ready to be a world hero.”

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That desire to set a standard for the women’s boxing scene is what pushed Lewandowski through her stint as an amateur.

She competed in five amateur fights as well as the Olympic trials in Lafayette, La. At one point, Lewandowski was ranked No. 5 in the nation at 114 pounds and No. 6 at 110 pounds. But it wasn’t an easy journey to prepare for.

One of the toughest challenges for Lewandowski — and many other female boxers — is earning respect.

“Everybody is so used to men fighting,” Davis said. “They see the men go to war in the ring. But for some reason, I think they’re still stuck in an old mindset where they don’t like seeing women get in the ring fighting each other. But I remember when I saw my first female fight, I was amazed. I try to tell guys these women are putting in just as much work, and they make great fighters.”

Lewandowski eventually earned respect, though.

“It took about two years to beat the stereotypes,” Lewandowski said. “It took a lot to convince coaches, peers, and teammates that I was serious about wanting to become a fighter. Sparring the guys and showing them I was better than them made them respect me more. It just took a little bit of time to get them there.”

Sparring with the men isn’t new to Lewandowski. Since there aren’t many female fighters in her area, it’s either spar with the guys or travel. At times, she’s driven to New York at 3 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays to go to Church Street Boxing Gym in Tribeca because they have female sparring at 6:30 a.m.

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Lewandowski also had to travel to national tournaments while an amateur to find female opponents — the travel money came out of her own pocket while she worked part-time as a bartender.

But bartending isn’t in Lewandowski’s future. After her pro fight, she is putting her focus on her gym that she and Davis opened in March called The Kennel, which is located in South Jersey. She plans on becoming a full-time coach — while training — to help create a more welcoming environment for female boxers.

But, before that, she has her eyes set on one thing — her pro debut against Amarilis Adorno on Saturday at 2300 Arena under R&B Boxing Promotions. Lewandowski is already paving a way for other women boxers in the area and will be the first female pro to fight under the promotion.

“I’ve been locked in the last few weeks,” Lewandowski said. “I haven’t hung out with family or friends. Sometimes, I even refuse to go to sleep. I’ll go to my other gym to watch the fight classes and just stay focused.

“This professional debut is just my first stepping stone in my hopes to create a greater image and more welcomed space for women in combat sports.”