Antonia Kay: “I love boxing, and I give everything I have for it. I want to see where it takes me.”

Antonia Kay: “I love boxing, and I give everything I have for it. I want to see where it takes me.”

I first interviewed Antonia Kay over three years ago. An aspiring, talented amateur boxer who left her Greek homeland behind to chase her musical dreams in Australia. “I definitely think about turning pro one day, but I will know when I am ready,” was the headline I went with. Kay is now ready. “Probably next year,” Kay told me over Zoom when I asked when she would be making her professional debut. “I have spoken with my coach, and we are going to take it step by step. That’s my approach. I like to focus on the task at hand. I am excited about turning pro.”

But Kay hasn’t given up on her amateur ambitions. Sadly, she missed out on selection for the recent world championships in Liverpool, but the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year is now a long-term target. But there is an if. “They haven’t told us what weight categories there will be in the Commonwealth Games yet. I want to stay at 54kg. If that is a weight for the Commonwealth, then I will do it. But if it isn’t, I won’t do any other weight categories. That’s my goal, but if there isn’t a 54kg weight division, then I will look at another opportunity.”

The next Olympic Games are in 2028 and are being held in Los Angeles. Kay hopes she will be in America. “The Olympics are definitely something that is on my mind,” Kay told me. “I would love to make it there. At the moment, I am really enjoying my training and my progress. I think taking it step by step has really helped my journey, and my results as well. I am doing all the training. All the work. If the Olympics happen, it happens. But whether the Olympics happen or not, I will be ok. I can live without it. I would love to make it to the Olympics; however, I will see where my career takes me. It’s hard to say when you have a goal to turn pro, and you don’t know what will happen with that. But if the stars do align, then that would be great.”

At 32, Antonia Kay is approaching her peak years. With hopes and aspirations in different codes, she knows where she wants her career to be in three years time. “The ideal scenario would be that I had turned pro and within the next few years, I had got a shot at a world title. Also, making it to the Olympics would be great, too. I am full-time in boxing, but I do other things as well. I love boxing, and I give everything I have for it. I want to see where it takes me.”

The passion for boxing is ever-growing, but her love for music still shines bright. With excellent heartwarming songs like Bad Girl and Simple Life, already in her back catalogue, Kay is keen to grow further as a musical artist, alongside her boxing career.

“I train two or three times a day, up to five hours a day,” Kay told me. “I also do music in between my sessions. Writing new music, working on songs. Working hard, honing my craft. I coach on the side as well. I coach three times a week at a boxing fitness gym. I do personal training as well.”

“I am a big believer in making time for things,” Kay adds when I ask how she finds the time to chase dreams in multiple industries. “So I have to take out things I don’t want to do. Instead of scrolling for an hour, I’ll just write a song. I am very mindful of my time and how I use my time.

“I want to take it all the way. I love my music. It’s my life. It’s what I do. It’s what I love. I want to keep growing as an artist. I want to keep writing songs and releasing new music.”

Despite that continued love for her music, Kay is all in on her boxing career. There has been plenty of disappointment along the way. Missing out on a trip to Liverpool for the World Amateur Championships in September, a recent example of this. Boxing can be an unforgiving sport, but Kay seems to embrace and accept the harshness of her craft.

“It’s hard,” Kay admits. “You have your bad days in boxing, but the good days are really good. But what is hard? If you lose a fight, it’s not the end of the world. I have learned to just enjoy the process. It’s what I do; I am getting better at it. It’s all in the mindset. It’s a choice, and I have chosen to do this. Nobody is forcing me to do it. I love getting in the ring. I love competing.” 

Antonia Kay is approaching the business end of her boxing life. The Commonwealth and Olympic Games are fast-approaching, and subject to a shoulder injury sustained in a recent tournament, and the severity of it, Kay wants to be at both. But maybe it is the imminent pro career that offers even more intrigue. Another layer to a resume that is already loaded with success. It’s extremely difficult not to be impressed by Kay. Driven and ambitious in two different fields. Time is a precious jewel, and Antonia Kay is making the absolute most of hers. In many ways, she is hitting the right notes.