Jade Jones swaps taekwondo glory for boxing dream

Two-time Olympic champion Jade Jones has taken a bold new chapter after swapping taekwondo for boxing less than a year after her first-round exit from the 2024 Summer Olympics and choosing fresh ambition and a new challenge over an easy retirement as she seeks to dial up her competitive fire.

The 32-year-old from Flint bows out of taekwondo as a double Olympic champion after winning gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics and again at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

For most, that should have been the ideal time to retire. For Jones, it was the catalyst for change.

Leaving taekwondo was tough, but her exit from the Olympics was what drove her to keep going.

“It was difficult because I am taekwondo – that’s made my life,” she admitted.

“But the way the Olympics went, I needed a fresh start. Most people would have retired, whereas I’ve still got the fire in my belly.”

Jones will stake her boxing debut in Derby on 7th March against Egypt Criss in what she has called a ‘crazy’ crossover bout.

Training for just over a year, she realises the humbling nature of starting from scratch.

“One of the hardest challenges is going from the top of one sport to the bottom of another,” she said. “I’d never thrown a punch before. People laughed when I said I was going to be a boxer.”

Under the guidance of ex-professional Stephen Smith to Liverpool's 4 Corners Gym, Jones believes she is advancing fast.