Beyond The Ropes: Jade Jones

Beyond The Ropes: Jade Jones

It was a train journey down to London on March 7th that brought Jade Jones onto my radar. Another trip to the ‘big smoke’ this time for a little trip to the Royal Albert Hall to cover the Boxxer all-female card.

During that killing time part of that trip, I read an article that the two-time Olympic Champion was leaving taekwondo behind to try her hand at boxing. For someone who is always looking to tell new stories, the Jade Jones story was from that moment on, one that I now wanted to tell.

It was a few hours after Lauren Price had defeated Natasha Jonas in the main event of another memorable night for women’s boxing when Jones walked past me in a hotel foyer. Introductions were made, numbers exchanged, and the now-usual Zoom connection was made a few days later.

“I didn’t know how I would feel. Obviously, I announced it on the day, and I have only been doing boxing for a few months. But being ringside, it really highlighted that it is harder than you think,” Jones told me of that early taste of ringside experience knowing full well that will now be part of her future.

“The shots when you are up close and personal, you can really hear those shots going in. But at the same time, it makes me even more excited. I can genuinely see myself in there and my name up in lights and throwing punches with the best of them.”

There is much excitement, and some jeopardy, but an impressive determination and resolve as she takes those crucial early embryonic steps into her new world.

“It is unknown territory,” Jones says of new sport. “I am from a kicking-based martial arts. It’s tough that you are used to being the best of the best. Being the top dog in your sport, everyone knows who you are. Who knows if I will be any good? I think I have got certain attributes, but until I get in there sparring and fighting, I don’t know how far I can take it.”

Jones has been at the top of her sport for thirteen years. An unknown who struck gold at the London Olympics in 2012.

“I think I just needed a new challenge,” Jones says of why she made the decision to switch sports. “I watched boxing, and I always thought that I could be good at it. I am now at that time of my life. Taekwondo is a young person’s sport, but I am not finished with professional sports yet. Boxing just excites me. It’s a new challenge. There is a lot more about it. The weigh-ins, and all the circus that comes with it. I am quite interested in all of that.”

There have been fleeting thoughts before about leaving taekwondo behind and trying another combat sport. Jones could very easily have settled into a life inside a cage and adding armbars and other submissions to her skillset, but it was perhaps the Noble Art that was always likely to be the next sport in line.

“There have been talks before, about going into MMA. But I have always looked at boxing and thought I could be good at it. But you don’t know until you actually switch.”

Despite early exits at the last two Olympic Games, Jones can look back at her taekwondo career with much pride.

“I think it has to be London in 2012,” Jones says of what her standout moment is. “At the home Olympics, I was only 19, and nobody expected it. I think I was 14-1 with the bookies to win the gold medal. That was just a surreal moment. To go from a complete unknown and becoming an Olympic Champion. It was crazy.”

Those two first-round Olympic exits do leave somewhat reflective, if still painful memories of those hard times.

“The word regret is a tough one because I do believe everything happens for a reason. As hard as it was, it killed me to lose in the Olympics like that. But I have learned so much. I don’t think if I had lost in the last Olympics, I would be here today trying the boxing out. But obviously, if I could go back, there would be things I would change. In the lead-up to the Olympics, I think I had burned out. I had moved to Croatia and kind of cut off my family. I thought it was the right thing to do to be totally locked in. I was flying after Christmas, training amazingly and in the best shape of my life. But I burned myself out, and when you get there, you kind of forget why you were there.

“It’s horrible. I genuinely believed I could have another gold medal and made history chasing something that hadn’t been done before. That is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I didn’t do what I was capable of. I can’t go back in time. All I can do is learn from it. Most people don’t have one career, but I am lucky enough to have two. I have made so many mistakes, but I have completed taekwondo. I have been a European, World, and Olympic Champion. I have done everything I needed to do. But those mistakes I can now change and learn from. Who knows where the boxing can go? Maybe I can be a superstar and a future champion, and all those lessons learned could all be for this.”

Jade Jones is now two months into that boxing journey. After going around a few gyms, Jones settled on being guided by Stephen Smith in Liverpool. She has settled in well into that fighting family and is currently on the hunt for a promoter for her planned debut in September. Talks are ongoing. Jade Jones is in demand, and so she should be. There is a story to sell. There is a story to tell. Maybe an even bigger one to follow.

Photo Credit: Ellis Gray Productions