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Wales ‘ double Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones is switching sports and has taken up boxing.

The 31-year-old says she is “dreaming big” as she intends to become a two-sport world champion.

Jones has been boxing for two months and is training with former professional boxer Stephen Smith in a move she believes is unprecedented as she eyes a career in the paid ranks.

“It is nerve-wracking. Some days I wake up and think ‘ am I absolutely crazy? ‘” Jones told BBC Breakfast.

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 she 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?

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.

One of Wales ‘ most successful Olympians, Jones admits there is a degree of sadness at giving up taekwondo, having represented Team GB at four Olympics and having won two gold medals, as well as winning a World Championship.

Jones became the youngest Team GB Olympic gold medallist when she sensationally won gold at her first attempt, as a 19-year-old at the 2012 London Games and held on to her crown four years later in Rio de Janeiro.

Disappointment followed at the 2020 Tokyo Games which she later described as the” biggest low “of her career.

At Paris 2024, Jones ‘ bid for Olympic history ended in early defeat in the taekwondo -57kg first round.

She was bidding to become the first three-time Olympic champion in the sport’s history and defeat left Jones” devastated”.

Jones lost to Macedonia’s Miljana Reljikj on the number of registered hits, used as a tie-breaker after three even rounds.

Jones – whose Paris build-up had been overshadowed by the controversy of a missed drugs test, but was later cleared by the UK Anti-Doping Agency – has now chosen to step away from the sport she loves.

” My family have been a little bit sad about me giving up taekwondo, “she added.

” I’ve never used my hands. After 20 years of using my feet I am switching it up.

Jones ‘ trainer Smith, who twice boxed for a world title, admits he was initially sceptical about Jones ‘ boxing ambitions.

“My first instinct was why? Why would someone who kicks with both feet get into a sport where you use your hands”, he said.

“I wasn’t doubting her, but I was confused. I don’t think it’s ever happened before, I don’t know anyone who has come over from taekwondo.

Jade Jones and Stephen ‘ Swifty ‘ Smith is a terrific boxing partnership.

Jones is an aggressive, competitive fighter in taekwondo and she will need an old-school boxing coach to help with her transition.

Smith, a former British champion and one of the four fighting Smith brothers from the Rotunda club In Liverpool, is a calm head in the gym and corner, Jones will need that as she forgets her kicks and perfects her hooks.

The initial transition will not be difficult, but turning Jones into a genuine contender will take time. Jones has good feet, fast hands and, as a world-class fighter, she has great awareness.

The fairy tale will mostly be conducted behind closed doors at the gym in long days of sparring and boring repetition, Jones will need to slow down, pick her punches and react to getting hit and hit and hit.

Swifty will insist that she” shapes up “well before letting her apply for a British licence to fight, the British Boxing Board will not just grant her a licence based on her glory in another sport. She will need to display the basics, learn boxing balance and simple punches – that might be frustrating for her, all crossover athletes want to run before they can walk.

Men’s Six Nations: Ireland v France

Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin Date: Saturday, 8 March Kick-off: 14: 15 GMT

Peruse Ireland and France’s line-ups for Saturday’s potential Six Nations title decider and you’ll find no shortage of instantly compelling head-to-head battles.

Caelan Doris v Gregory Alldritt pits two of the world’s best number eights against one another, Andrew Porter v Uini Atonio will be an engrossing scrum-time tussle, while powerhouse Irish centre Bundee Aki will meet his match in Yoram Moefana.

But naturally, most eyes are drawn to the battle of the scrum-halves.

In Antoine Dupont, France have a generational talent. A world player of the year in both the 15s and sevens codes, an Olympic gold medallist and a poster boy for his sport, Dupont has gleefully exhausted superlatives in recent years.

His otherworldly gifts even moved his Toulouse team-mates to refer to him as ‘ the Martian’, Emmanuel Meafou revealed last year.

Dupont’s worthy adversary on Saturday is Jamison Gibson-Park. ‘ Jamo ‘ to his team-mates, he is Ireland’s unflappable metronome and the frontrunner to wear nine for the British and Irish Lions in Australia this summer.

“Yeah, it will be interesting”, said Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby.

“Two fabulous players at the peak of their game. There are a number of individual battles across the teams, but that one will be pretty special”.

This will not be the first time Gibson-Park and Dupont have crossed paths, of course. They have twice met in the Champions Cup, including last year’s final when Dupont’s Toulouse beat Gibson-Park’s Leinster in extra time.

They have met three times in the Six Nations, although not since 2022 (Gibson-Park was injured in 2023 while Dupont skipped last year’s championship).

This is a hugely important game for 28-year-old Dupont and France. For a player regarded by some as the greatest of all time, a single Six Nations title – in 2022 – is an underwhelming return.

He does not lack emotional ammunition heading to Dublin. In 2023, not even his herculean try-saving tackle on Mack Hansen could stop Ireland’s charge to the Grand Slam.

Later that year, France’s home World Cup campaign ended in the quarter-finals. With his Olympic debut on the horizon, Dupont sat out last year’s Six Nations as Les Bleus again finished second to the Irish. He led Toulouse to the Champions Cup in May, but craves more silverware at Test level.

Considering his Top 14 commitments are likely to rule him out of facing the All Blacks in the summer, the next couple of weeks takes on even greater significance as he leads France’s bid to shift the Six Nations balance of power back to Paris.

Reassuringly for France head coach Fabien Galthie, Dupont has shone since his sevens sojourn.

Fresh from scoring four tries in as many Champions Cup pool games for Toulouse, he sparkled on his Six Nations return.

Dupont’s assist for Theo Attissogbe’s try launched a 43-0 rout over Wales, his dead-eyed cross-kick encapsulating the decision-making and accuracy that helps set him apart.

He did, however, endure a rare off-night in the defeat by England. He was well shackled by the home side’s defence and was not immune to the handling errors that derailed the French cause, dropping a Thomas Ramos pass when an opening try seemed a certainty.

But as the greats often do, he bounced back, masterfully orchestrating a French attack that scored 11 tries against Italy in Rome.

He even bagged himself a couple, his first Six Nations tries since the Grand Slam-clinching win over England in 2022.

France missed Dupont last year, but he has been at the centre of this year’s title bid, his eight direct try involvements (two tries, six assists) bettered only by his team-mate Louis Bielle-Biarrey (four tries, five assists).

While Dupont is a global superstar, Gibson-Park prefers to stay away from the spotlight. Unfortunately for him, he is too good to remain in the background.

It hasn’t always been this way.

After giving up on representing New Zealand, Gibson-Park moved to Leinster from the Hurricanes in 2016. He qualified for Ireland under the residency rule in 2019 but was left out of Joe Schmidt’s World Cup squad.

He had to bide his time at Leinster, too, behind Luke McGrath, who started the 2018 and 2019 Champions Cup finals.

Ireland coach Andy Farrell, however, recognised his potential, handing him his Test debut in October 2020.

Having missed last summer’s Test series in South Africa through injury, Gibson-Park has elevated his game. In November’s defeat by New Zealand, he was one of a select few in green who showed up, and was key in the victories over Argentina and Australia.

He has been even better in the Six Nations, delivering a series of game-changing moments for Ireland in recent weeks.

In his player-of-the-match display against England, he scored a crucial try to jolt Ireland out of a sluggish start, brilliantly side-stepping Freddie Steward after James Lowe had shrugged off Alex Mitchell.

He was arguably even better as Ireland powered past Scotland in Murrayfield.

His superb, try-saving tackle on Blair Kinghorn – after sprinting more than half the length of the field – demonstrated his defensive awareness, speed and ability to read the play as he stopped the hosts cutting Ireland’s lead to two points.

In Cardiff – where he again won player of the match – he showed how his kicking helps Ireland open teams up. With Ireland trailing Wales 18-13 in the second half, it was his pinpoint cross-kick that allowed Lowe to palm the ball into Jamie Osborne’s path for a crucial try.

Gibson-Park is softly spoken in front of the media but his leadership should not be overlooked, either.

After Sexton’s retirement, he has helped guide untested fly-halves Jack Crowley and Prendergast through their debut Six Nations campaigns.

To win in Dublin and take control of the championship, both sides need every facet operating with optimum efficiency.