Caitlyn Wise: “I want to make a name for myself and show everyone what I have got. I want all my hard work and dedication to pay off and show it wasn’t all for nothing.”

Caitlyn Wise: “I want to make a name for myself and show everyone what I have got. I want all my hard work and dedication to pay off and show it wasn’t all for nothing.”

Caitlyn Wise was one of six female fighters who went over to Colorado Springs in October for the U19 World Championships. All six came home from America with a gold medal.

“It’s just brilliant. An amazing feeling,” the Worcester fighter says of her crowning moment to date. Three fights that gave her that precious world title. Three fights in the 54kg weight category that show Caitlyn Wise has a bright future ahead of her.

“Obviously, I wanted to win, but I knew the competition would be hard,” Wise told me over Zoom. “I trained hard for it. I really wanted it, and that was what was going on in my head, really. I succeeded, and I got what I wanted.”

Wise made an early start to her boxing life. An entry into boxing that came when a plethora of other sports failed to satisfy her.

“I started at the age of ten,” Wise told FightPost. “I’ve had thirty-three fights now, winning twenty-eight of them. I used to dance, but I didn’t really get on with it. I did a lot of other sports as well. I did taekwondo, but I didn’t really like that. I am a really good runner. I used to do a lot of running at school. I did gymnastics, a bit of everything, really. I did boxing because my uncle used to do it. I just did it as a hobby to start with, just to keep fit. I then asked one of the coaches to do a bit of pad work with me, and I really liked it, and then it went on to competing. After that, I just wanted to keep it going.”

It was love at first sight for Wise. A sport that can find you just as much as you find it. Almost instantly, Wise knew that boxing was for her. “I think I have got a natural talent for boxing. As soon as I started boxing, everything just naturally came.”

Despite being only 17, Wise is no stranger to honours in her boxing life. A three-time Midlands Champion. A three-time National Champion. A bronze medal in the European Championships. Achievements that have now been surpassed by that gold medal in America at the World Championships. The next twelve months will be rinse and repeat for Wise, with the aim to win a second world title in 2025, before moving onto senior level in 2026 and gaining selection for GB when she turns eighteen.

“The Olympics is my dream.” The words of a fighter who is dreaming of gold on the Olympic stage. But with boxing still searching for a guaranteed place at the next Olympics, Wise still has no immediate thoughts of turning professional. There is a Plan B. “I’ll aim for the Commonwealth Games in 2026, and then stay on GB until I turn over. I just want to get as much out of the sport as I can.”

Like many, Wise has to juggle her training with full-time work. “I work full-time, and I box full-time. I am a landscape gardener. I work for my sponsor. It’s his business. So my sponsor is my boss, he gives me all the time off I need to box.”

The Ronkswood fighter is inspired by the likes of Ben Whittaker and Tyson Fury, but also by a fighter who is so vitally important for her side of the sport. “Katie Taylor is my idol. I love the way she boxes. Katie has put female boxing on the map.”

Caitlyn Wise has hopes of emulating her idol by winning world titles, but equally, her journey is even more important than that.

“I want to make a name for myself and show everyone what I have got,” Wise told me. “I want all my hard work and dedication to pay off and show it wasn’t all for nothing. It’s my safe place. I get so much enjoyment out of it. I like the glory. I like winning. It’s a tough sport. But I take all my losses as a learning experience. Every time I have lost, I have worked on it and come back stronger. Sometimes, you do need to lose to improve.” Wise words from someone so young. A fighter who seemingly destined for even more glory.