- “Boxing, it's changed my life, incredibly, in so many ways,” remarks New Zealand Lightweight Commonwealth Games contender Jordan Wilson, who also admits that finding the sport and cutting over 40kg’s in weight, has potentially saved her life as well.
"VAN" (Sports Desk - 15.03.2026) :: “Ahead of Covid (2020) I was 104.9kg’s when I got on the scales. I remember going to the doctors and them telling me I was at risk of blood clots and needing medication,” she recalls.
The shock realisation of what might be facing her acted as an almost instant mental “switch.”
“It hit me like ‘wow, I've let myself get to this point’ and I decided to do something about it,” states Wilson.
“Covid sucked for everyone and I know a lot of stories about people putting on weight at that time, but I was the opposite. With all that free time I began working out three-times-a-day and I had the ability to focus really heavily on my meals and nutrition.”
Once gyms reopened Wilson began regular ‘BoxFit’ classes, which are essentially high-intensity, non-contact fitness classes which combine boxing techniques, such as pad work and punchbag training, with cardio conditioning.
The New Zealander, who is a Technology Project Manager away from the ring, had no plans to fight at that stage, but quickly discovered she had something of a talent for the sport.
“All I wanted was to get healthy, get fit and drop some weight, then I fell in love with it,” she says with a smile. “I just happened to, I don't know, have some natural skills, I guess.
“The weight started stripping away, I got fitter and more confident, but I also found that the smaller I got, the stronger I got, which is so funny.
“I can move my body better in everything I do and I feel the strongest I've ever been.”
Wilson had played rugby and softball as a youngster and while ‘BoxFit’ was a passion. it soon became more and at the age of 32 she embraced a new competitive challenge.
“I decided I wanted to take it to the next step and test myself in the ring,” she recalls. “In April (2024), I jumped in for my first amateur bout and I haven't looked back.”
The boxer, who has won 17 of her 24 fights to date, continues; “My coach sometimes says, ‘imaging what we could have achieved if you’d found it (boxing) earlier’, but what we’ve been able to do in a short space of time is amazing.”
The now 34-year-old made her major international debut in the sport for New Zealand at the 2025 World Championships in Liverpool and is now targeting a return to the UK for what would be her Commonwealth Games debut, come Glasgow 2026.
“It’s funny because when I first started fighting, I said ‘I could go to the Commonwealth Games’ and at that point in time it was a little bit of a pipe dream, but now it's everything,” Wilson says. “I've got my eyes so locked on it!”
“It's the epitome of sport; to represent my country, my nation and be amongst the best in the world at such a prestigious event, it's just the ultimate goal.”
She pauses before continuing; “I want boxing fans and sporting fans in general to get tickets for Glasgow 2026 because it's going to be intense, it's going to be insane and although it’s me alone in the ring, having people there backing me always makes a massive difference!”
Official confirmation of her place in the New Zealand squad should be ratified in May and regardless of the outcome at the Commonwealth Games, she hopes others will be motivated by her journey.
“People often have said how proud they are of me and it's something I probably didn't really see for myself until recently, when I realised; ‘look at where I am, look at where I'm going and look at what I could do’,” she says.
“I know I've inspired others and I hope that I can continue to do that because when people get back into the gym they start changing their lives and it's so cool to be an inspiration to someone.
“If I’d had it (boxing) earlier in my life, maybe things could have taken different paths, but this is where we are now and I just hope to keep showing people that you're never too early, you're never too late to start, there's no obstacle.
Wilson continues; “The only obstacles are the ones you put in front of yourself.”
Cr-Glasgow2026
Responses
Leave your comment