Ruby Else-White: “It’s been my dream to win the Olympics so after I win gold I want to turn professional and win everything at one weight and then move up in weight and win everything at that weight.”

Ruby Else-White: “It’s been my dream to win the Olympics so after I win gold I want to turn professional and win everything at one weight and then move up in weight and win everything at that weight.”

It was a few minutes spent idling away some loose time on my phone that brought Ruby Else-White to my attention. Although, in truth, I already knew that a recent trip to America had ended with her winning the U19 World Championships. Else-White was already on my radar. A new story to tell. A brand new talent in the female ranks to shine a light on. But it was a little headline that made me seek her out a little earlier than I originally intended.

Ruby Else-White lives in Dorset. A long, time-consuming, seemingly never-ending trip to Sheffield was mentioned in an article that I came across. A sign of extreme dedication.

“It’s ninety minutes just to get to the train station, Else-White told me over Zoom. “Then it’s four hours direct to Sheffield on the train, and then it could be another 30 minutes on the tram or the bus, and then I have a twenty-minute walk to the England Institute of Sport. And that is if there are no delays, and there are always delays. When I was training for the World Championships, I had to do that for ten weeks straight.”

Ruby Else-White relies on sponsorship to be able to make that trip. She wants more. She needs more. The aspiring star lives alone. Else-White works full-time in construction. She lives alone, and therefore, she can’t afford to drop her hours. In a perfect world, Else-White would reduce her workload. She doesn’t live in a perfect world.

But Else-White seems to thrive on her schedule. Even when her body would probably appreciate a little rest every now and again.

“I do feel it after a day at work and then two training sessions on the same day,” Else-White says. “But I don’t like to rest, I always like to be busy. So, for me, it’s harder to have a rest day.”

The boxing life started early. Very early. An unusual story was the catalyst for something more.

“I started when I was seven. I come from a small village in Dorset, and we did pantomimes and plays, and I was a tree in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I became best friends with someone else who was a tree, and her dad, mum, and brother were all involved in the boxing community. So I started going to the fun classes, which was for the little ones, and then I moved to the proper boxing classes, and I have stuck at it ever since.”

Ruby Else-White has fought sixty-three times. Only five defeats in those sixty-three amateur contests is a staggering statistic. It is also a sign of a possible golden future. Five National titles. Three European titles. The U19 World Championships. I could go on. An impressive and extensive resume. That will surely only get better. The highlight so far was that gold medal at the recent World Championships in America.

“It was amazing, an unreal experience,” Else-White says of that moment. “I have never been to America before. The team did really well as well. All the girls won gold medals, and two of the boys did as well.

“But to be honest with you, I was really annoyed. I was boxing an Indian girl in the final, and she was constantly holding and was warned nine times, and then they disqualified her. I was happy that I won, and I would have won it anyway, but I would rather have won it by a decision, so it was a bit of an anti-climax in some ways.”

Else-White is looking to build on her world title with more and more tournaments in 2025 with the aim of trying to get selection onto the GB Boxing squad in Sheffield when she turns eighteen next year.

“I want to get on GB, and then go to the Commonwealth Games in 2026 and then the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles. It’s been my dream to win the Olympics, so after I win gold, I want to turn professional and win everything at one weight and then move up in weight and win everything at that weight.”

There is that slight temptation to turn professional right now, but hopes of competing on the Olympic stage is very much her priority.

“You don’t even have to win a medal at the Olympics. By just going, you put yourself on the radar. So, I think it is the right way to go through all the stages as an amateur first. I don’t want to crush my Olympic dream by turning pro now and then regret it after.”

Else-White is inspired by the likes of Lauren Price, Moses Itauma, and Vasiliy Lomachenko. Her ambitions are high enough to match even that talented trio. But boxing gives her so much more than that.

“For me, boxing keeps me in check. I don’t know what I would be doing with it, probably all the wrong things and hanging out with the wrong people. Boxing really keeps you grounded and disciplined. It keeps my head quiet and has put me on the right path. I have always got something to work for, and you can always do more in boxing. Even after winning the World Championships, I know I can give even more. Boxing brings people together, and it makes you a better person.”

At just 17, Ruby Else-White has already achieved plenty. More success will undoubtedly follow. In many ways, she is impressive. A star of the future. Quite possibly.