Jade Jones: Olympic champion quits taekwondo to pursue boxing

Jones’ switch is sure to raise eyebrows, having competed for two decades in a sport where kicking your opponent is the name of the game and Jones admits her decision did come out of the blue.

“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 said.

“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.”

Jones admits she has faced a huge culture shock as she has learned about the “sweet science” of boxing.

“Boxing is arguably the hardest sport in the world, but I am up for the challenge, I want to give it a go,” she said.

“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 a 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.”

Jones’ switch is sure to raise eyebrows, having competed for two decades in a sport where kicking your opponent is the name of the game and Jones admits her decision did come out of the blue.

“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 said.

“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.”

Jones admits she has faced a huge culture shock as she has learned about the “sweet science” of boxing.

“Boxing is arguably the hardest sport in the world, but I am up for the challenge, I want to give it a go,” she said.

“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 a 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.”