Anya New: “I want to go to the 2032 Olympics, and after that, turn professional and become a world champion.”

Anya New: “I want to go to the 2032 Olympics, and after that, turn professional and become a world champion.”

Anya New is another rising star on the female side of the sport. The recently crowned European champion is seemingly heading into a golden future. A split-decision victory over the German Amalia Muller earned New the gold medal, and the talented North-East fighter has all the attributes to reach the very top of her sport.

The 15-year-old first came into boxing courtesy of a family connection with the sport. “My sister used to box, and obviously, my dad owns the gym,” New told me over Zoom. “One day, my sister went down to the gym, and I went with her. I have stuck to it ever since. I loved it straight away. I think it’s the adrenaline.”

“It makes me feel good,” the Sunderland fighter added. “Especially when I win, knowing all the hard work that I have to put in.”

There is a sporting background to her story. “I did gymnastics and dancing, but I never stuck to one sport,” New relayed to me. Boxing came into her life at an extremely early age. New was five when she first walked into a boxing gym. Her sister was a decent-level amateur before leaving the sport behind at 15. But Anya New kept fighting. And winning.

New is now thirty-two fights in, with only five defeats on her record. The trophy cabinet is already getting full. A three-time national champion. A tri-nations champion. An England international, plus a host of other titles and achievements to her name. But New is targeting even more gold in 2026. The junior World Championships, the National Championships in February, and another gold medal at the European Championships are all on her radar.

New, who is inspired by the likes of Katie Taylor and Tyson Fury, is dedicated to the core. The sacrifices are many. “It’s all the hard work that nobody really sees,” New told me about the harshness of her sport. “All the training and the dieting. Waking up early, going running in the morning. Dealing with making weight. You can’t do certain things because you are boxing. You can’t go out, because you are training at night.

But the highs of boxing outweigh any negatives for the young fighter. “Winning,” a simple reply when I ask her what the best feeling in boxing is for her. A feeling she is very much getting used to.

Despite her already lofty achievements, Anya New is still in the embryonic stages of her boxing career. But the ambitions are high for a fighter who looks to have all the potential to reach the very pinnacle in her sport. “I want to go to the 2032 Olympics, and after that, turn professional and become a world champion.”