Double Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones has revealed her arrival in professional boxing with a stunning second-round knockout victory. The athlete from Wales, who won Olympic gold medals in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics, defeated Egypt Criss in her boxing debut at Misfits Duel 2 in Derby. Jones required only two rounds to secure victory, dispatching her opponent with three successive left hooks. The 32-year-old competitor from Flint made the daring transition from taekwondo after 20 years in the sport, setting herself an ambitious target of achieving world champion status in two different disciplines. Her first fight marks the beginning of an remarkable new phase in her sporting career.
From Taekwondo Excellence to Boxing Success
Jade Jones’ transition from taekwondo to boxing exemplifies one of sport’s most compelling career pivots. After spending two decades perfecting her craft in taekwondo and reaching the sport’s pinnacle with successive Olympic gold medals, the Welsh champion chose she needed a different challenge. At 32 years old, Jones made the bold decision to trade her taekwondo gloves for boxing ones at the beginning of last year, launching into a completely new professional journey in a sport where she had no prior competitive experience.
Jones has built a team with professional mentorship to advance her progress in the sport of boxing. Learning from former professional boxer Stephen ‘Swifty’ Smith at the renowned 4 Corners Gym, she has benefited from top-tier training. Additionally, Jones looks up to her former room-mate Lauren Price, a unified world boxing champion who skillfully balanced her own diverse athletic pursuits before dedicating herself to professional boxing. Price’s track record of competing at the highest levels in football, kickboxing, and taekwondo before finding ultimate success in boxing has given Jones a roadmap to her lofty aspirations.
- Gold medals at the Olympics earned in London 2012 and Rio 2016
- Working out at Liverpool’s renowned 4 Corners Gym with Swifty Smith
- Inspired by undisputed champion Lauren Price’s multi-sport success
- Ambitious target of becoming world champion in multiple sports
A Dominant Showing in the Ring
Jade Jones’ boxing debut at Misfits Duel 2 in Derby was a striking display of ambition. Facing Egypt Criss, child of music legends Anthony ‘Treach’ Criss from Naughty by Nature and Sandra ‘Pepa’ Denton from Salt-N-Pepa, Jones showcased the raw power and technical skill that defined her taekwondo career. The Welsh champion’s performance indicated that her move across disciplines would not be merely ceremonial but genuinely competitive, as she dominated her opponent with precise execution and powerful striking.
The fight showcased Jones’ innate physical prowess and her skill in adapting her combat sports expertise into the squared circle. Despite having no prior professional boxing experience, she displayed the composure and ring awareness expected of a experienced boxer. Her victory was not a narrow decision or a hard-fought battle but rather a overwhelming showing that left no doubt her status as a credible professional boxer. The velocity and force of her combinations indicated that her Olympic background would work in her favor in this fresh stage of her professional journey.
The Pivotal Second Round
The crucial juncture came in the next round when Jones launched a powerful sequence of punches that ended the contest. Three successive left hooks proved too much Criss, with the closing strike dropping her to the mat and compelling the referee to stop the bout. The knockout triumph was decisive and precise, demonstrating Jones’ ability to identify and capitalize on her opponent’s weaknesses with precision timing. This spectacular ending reflected the character of her inaugural bout—quick, definitive, and utterly convincing.
Jones’ second-round knockout underscored her lofty aspiration of becoming a world champion in multiple disciplines. The striking quality of her first win points to that her target is not merely aspirational but potentially achievable given her dedication and elite-level coaching. The pace at which she defeated Criss indicated that the transition from taekwondo to professional boxing may be easier than many expected, setting the stage for an compelling path toward championship glory in her new discipline.
Training and Inspiration Behind the Success
Jones’ quick rise in the boxing ring did not arise from a vacuum but rather from a carefully structured training programme under the mentorship of seasoned experts. Since beginning her boxing journey at the start of last year, she has been training under former professional boxer Stephen ‘Swifty’ Smith at Liverpool’s iconic 4 Corners Gym. This partnership has played a key role in adapting her taekwondo abilities into solid boxing mechanics, allowing her to preserve the sharpness and dynamism that characterized her Olympic career while acclimating to the unique challenges of professional boxing sport.
The choice to pursue boxing represented a conscious choice to seek fresh challenges following 20 years of dominance in taekwondo. At 32 years old, Jones showed remarkable courage in leaving a sport where she had attained the pinnacle of success—Olympic gold medals in both London 2012 and Rio 2016—to begin anew at a beginner’s level in a distinct discipline. Her ambitious target of achieving the status of a world champion in two sports gave her the motivation to undertake this significant shift in her career, transforming what could have been a retirement into an thrilling new chapter of athletic achievement.
Learning from Boxing Experts
Jones has gained substantial inspiration from unified world boxing champion Lauren Price, who was her former room-mate and shares a similarly diverse sporting background. Price’s own journey through multiple combat sports—including Welsh football, kickboxing, and taekwondo—before transitioning to professional boxing offered a strong blueprint for success. This guidance provided by someone who had already traversed a similar path proved extremely valuable, offering practical insights and mental support as Jones embarked on her own boxing career with determination and confidence.
- Training at 4 Corners Gym under coach Stephen ‘Swifty’ Smith’s specialized coaching
- Learning from from unified world champion Lauren Price’s multi-sport experience
- Applying two decades of Olympic taekwondo knowledge to advanced boxing methods
Ambitious Goals in a Emerging Athletic Discipline
Jones’ move into boxing came with a notably daring objective: to become a world champion in two different sports. This lofty goal served as the driving force behind her transition from taekwondo, where she had already achieved the competition’s greatest achievements. At 32 years old, rather than basking in her Olympic achievements, Jones elected to push herself in an completely different arena, showcasing the competitive spirit that had characterized her two-decade career in taekwondo. Her goal reflects not merely a wish for a new beginning, but a determination to cement her legacy as one of sport’s most versatile and skilled competitors across various sports.
The journey to world championship status in boxing creates a substantially different challenge from her earlier successes. Unlike taekwondo, where Jones had invested years mastering technique and building experience, she enters the boxing world as a relative newcomer competing against fighters with lengthy competitive histories. However, her devastating debut performance—a second-round KO victory featuring three straight left hooks—suggests she possesses the raw talent and technical foundation necessary to progress rapidly through the ranks. If Jones can keep this momentum while continuing to develop her boxing skills under skilled instruction, her lofty dual-title ambition may prove considerably more attainable than originally looked.