Olympic taekwondo gold medallist Jade Jones has switched kicks for punches.
Jones became the youngest Team GB Olympic champion when she won gold at the 2012 London Games.
She retained her crown at the Rio Games four years later, but could not make it three in a row at Tokyo 2020.
Jones crashed out of the tournament in the round of 16 in a shock upset against Refugee Team competitor Kimia Alizadeh.
It was a similar story at Paris 2024, where she suffered an early defeat at the hands of Macedonia’s Miljana Reljikj.
Now, she is hoping to become a world champion in two different sports as she begins her transition to professional boxing.
“It is nerve-wracking. Some days I wake up and think ‘am I absolutely crazy?’” Jones told BBC Breakfast.
“I am loving it. I love taekwondo, it will always be my first love. But this is an exciting challenge. I’ve only been doing it for two months.”
Jones laced up the gloves two months ago and is training with former British and Commonwealth champion Stephen Smith in Liverpool.
“I don’t know what gave me the idea, I was sat in my kitchen and thought ‘I’ll try boxing’, my family all think I’m crazy, but people who know me know it is inside me, I love to have a fight and a scrap,” she added.
“People can follow my journey, the good, the bad and the ugly. Can I get to the top? Will I fail?
“The dream is to be a world champion. To be a world champion in two sports would be pretty cool.”
Her transition has given her a new-found appreciation for the sweet science.
“Boxing is arguably the hardest sport in the world, but I am up for the challenge, I want to give it a go,” she continued.
“Technique is the hardest thing to learn. There are so many little factors to it.
“I started wading in, but it’s all about timing and being patient.
“I’ve learned straight away it’s not like being Rocky, you can’t just get in there and blast away.
“I’ve come in thinking I’m hardcore and can have a scrap, but it’s the total opposite to be honest, it’s kind of like taekwondo in that it’s a game of chess, but with your hands.”
