Niamh Mitchell: “I just want to go in the ring and perform my best and be proud of my performance. That’s all I ask for.”

Niamh Mitchell: “I just want to go in the ring and perform my best and be proud of my performance. That’s all I ask for.”

“Honestly, I can’t wait,” the opening words of Niamh Mitchell. The 19-year-old will be a part of the Scottish team that will compete in the upcoming Commonwealth Games, which will take place in Glasgow in July and August.

“I wasn’t guaranteed to be selected,” Mitchell told me over Zoom. “But after the good start to the year that I have had, I was confident I would be picked.”

Mitchell has only lost one fight in 2026. Trust me, in amateur boxing, that is impressive. It is that good form that has the young prospect dreaming of big things in Glasgow. “The gold medal,” Mitchell replied when I asked her what her expectations are in the Commonwealth Games. “But I just want to go in the ring and perform my best and be proud of my performance. That’s all I ask for.”

Like many, the gateway into boxing came by way of another sport. “I used to do kickboxing,” Mitchell says. “I started when I was 5 because I was getting a wee bit of bother on the streets. I did it for self-defence. But I switched over to boxing when I was 12 because there wasn’t much I could do kickboxing-wise. I couldn’t get to the Commonwealth Games and stuff like that. I made the switch to try to get into what I am doing now.”

It was a hobby that morphed into something a little more. A big win in 2022 changed everything for her. “I went to the European championships when I was a junior. I went into it only having about six fights, so I wasn’t confident about my boxing abilities. But I went in there and won that tournament, and that’s when it hit me that I could get better at this. I could keep going with this.”

Mitchell is now 36 fights into her boxing journey. Success has come quickly for her. But her sport carries a deeper meaning for her. “It keeps me grounded,” Mitchell says. “Ever since I was younger, I have always needed some sort of goal in front of me to keep me going. Boxing gives me that kind of goal to keep pushing towards. I have always got something ahead of me to train for.”

The Commonwealth Games are vital for the immediate fighting future of Niamh Mitchell. “My future depends on what happens in Glasgow,” Mitchell admits. “If it doesn’t go as well as I am hoping, I’ll still probably stick around to see what I can do. I had stayed on at school, so I could get higher grades, and I could go to university. But I had to pick that or boxing. So I could always go back to university if need be. But the goal right now is boxing.”

If Mitchell can medal in Glasgow, it could mean she starts to chase Olympic glory in two years’ time. But it could also mean the world of professional boxing might come calling. “I am going to see after the Commonwealth Games what the chances are of getting on GB, because that is the pathway for going to the Olympics. I also want to see what offers there would be to turn professional. It depends on what route I take. If I go the GB route, then I want to go to the Olympics and then turn pro and become a world champion. But obviously if I turn pro sooner, the goal will be to work my way through the ranks and then win a world title.”