Beyond The Ropes: Jade Pearce

Beyond The Ropes: Jade Pearce

Jade Pearce will have fight number four in April at the Rainton Arena. The first fight of 2026, a year that the highly-rated super-featherweight prospect will hope puts her firmly into title contention.

After an injury hit amateur career, Pearce turned professional last year and managed three fights and three wins. The 29-year-old impressed on her debut in June with a third-round stoppage over Valgerdur Gudsteinsdottir. The Icelandic import had previously gone the distance with the likes of Lauren Price and Lillie Winch. Pearce blew Gudsteinsdottir away in a highly impressive fashion. The debut win was followed by six-round points victories over Naila Abigail Peloso and Kirsty Hill. The win over Hill in November in Newark was a little step up for Pearce; her opponent was a reigning Commonwealth champion. Pearce showed her class and was awarded the fight courtesy of a 59-55 scorecard.

Boxing runs in the Pearce household. Her father, John, was a two-time ABA champion and won a gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Pearce has spoken about her father’s regret that he never turned professional; his daughter is using that as part motivation, and his amateur achievements as inspiration for her own journey in the sport.

After trying her hand at multiple sports in her teenage years, including hockey and swimming, Pearce eventually found boxing. Her father was somewhat reluctant to let his daughter box at first, but once that early resistance subsided, coaching duties were added to the normal parental roles. An amateur career that included wins over Raven Chapman and Nina Hughes was cut short by injury and the Covid pandemic, but hopes are high that Jade Pearce could reach the very top in the pro ranks. The North-East fighter is confident in her own abilities.

“I don’t want to sit around waiting and be protected and only fight certain people,” Pearce once told me. “If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I genuinely believe that I can go all the way. I am going in to win everything.”