Ivy-Jane Smith: From travelling community to Paris Olympics via Sheffield Boxing Club

Murals to the likes of Amir Khan, Nicola Adams and Anthony Joshua alongside glittering lists of their medals and achievements adorn every wall possible.

But one stands virtually empty, showing only a blackened figure accompanied eerily by a sign saying, “this could be you”.

GB Boxing star Ivy-Jane Smith harbours hopes this spectre of medals yet-to-come will bear her name by 2024’s conclusion, as she seeks to carve a way to this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.

The Sheffield-based light-flyweight is not shy about her ultimate aim.

“I want a gold medal,” she told The Yorkshire Post.

“I’m giving it everything I’ve got because that’s what everyone’s doing, and we all want the same thing.

“It’s every boxer’s dream.

“The gold medal is what I want,” she added.

Her road to the promised land begins for real next week at the World Boxing Cup: GB Open tournament in Sheffield.

For this competition, Smith will face other members of the GB Boxing squad before a Paris 2024 qualifier in March.

This chance is one the 24-year-old has been chasing since she was a tiny, fist-swinging toddler.

At that stage, she was being trained by her father, John, who had also been a boxer.

It was only through a life-changing accident that he began to invest his time in Ivy-Jane.

“My dad used to box when he was younger,” she said.

“He had a car accident and then was completely paralysed from the waist down.

“He (started to) train me just because it was something to do as I was running around like a three-year-old does, just punching in the air.

“It went from there, really.”

And boy, did it.

By the age of 13, Smith had won her first national title. One year later, she won her second and was swiftly selected to represent England.

After a few years of successfully doing so (winning two more titles), the then-18-year-old joined GB Boxing.

Things, however, were not so linear from that point onwards.

“I quit,” she said, with a wry smile.

“I quit within about four or five months of being with GB, and then during the past five years I just worked full-time in a bar and lived your normal average life that everyone does.”

Her Rocky Balboa-like return eventually came when the lure of a potential boxing career became too much to suppress.

She added: “In January last year, I just decided boxing’s what I want to do.

“I wanted to come back, so I just gave it everything.

“I carried on working part-time and just trained as much as I could, got selected to box for England again and then got put back on GB.”

This experience, unorthodox for someone so talented in the ring, is one Smith firmly believes has reaffirmed her passion for the sport.

“Personally, I think it’s made me a better boxer,” she said.

“I’m not just doing it because I grew up in the sport anymore, I’m doing it because I want something out of it.

“I want the gold medal; I want to be the best.

“It’s not just carrying it on through my childhood and teenage years. I kind of had that break and personally I think it’s worked out quite well.”

Smith, who was raised in Southampton, only departed the south coast for Sheffield’s seven hills a couple of years ago.

The change has offered the aspiring Olympian the chance to connect with some of its boxing titans, via a move to Steel City ABC.

Smith added: “I knew Sunny Edwards who boxes there and Dalton Smith from before.

“I just thought I’ll go, and it’ll give me something to do.

“I wasn’t thinking about taking it seriously at the start – I just thought I miss it, you know.

“Piers Gudgeon is my main coach there, but everyone in the gym is kind of like a little family.

“I really like that gym, they’re a good bunch.”

For Smith, reaching sport’s pinnacle stage this summer will concern more than just athletic achievement.

As a member of the travelling community, it will also be about showing pride in her origins.

“You know, a lot of people say this and that,” Smith said.

“But at the end of the day, it’s in my blood.

“There are probably going to be some people that are a bit funny with me, but I’m proud to be who I am and to take that to potentially the Olympics or even further,” added Smith.

“You’ve got to be proud to be who you are and if you aren’t then there’s going to be a problem.”

Tickets for the “World Boxing Cup: GB Open – Sheffield 2024” are on sale, starting at £10 (plus booking fee) for a day ticket, at www.seetickets.com and are available to purchase HERE. Competition starts on Wednesday (17 Jan) at 1100 and there are two sessions a day starting at 1100 and 1700. For finals day on Saturday (20 Jan), sessions start at 1030 and 1330.