Reid Eyes Commonwealth Gold After Six-Year Comeback

Chantelle Reid will compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this week after a career interrupted by six years away from the sport. The English boxer, a former European junior champion, retired as a teenager when doctors diagnosed her with degenerative disc disease and warned she risked paralysis if she continued.

Reid told BBC East Midlands Today that the medical advice forced an impossible choice. "The doctor said you can either go to the Olympics or have children, so it scared me a bit," she said. "They said I could potentially be paralysed from the waist down." After multiple scans and second opinions confirmed the diagnosis, she stopped boxing.

Reid's Return Through Pain-Free Sparring

The Derbyshire fighter returned to the gym in 2023 and completed a sparring session without pain. One year later she made the Team GB squad for Paris 2024, where she lost her opening bout on a split decision. She won a World Championship bronze medal in 2025.

Reid said the Paris loss shaped her outlook on the rest of her amateur career. She remains focused on winning gold at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics rather than turning professional. "The next Olympic Games I'm getting that medal," she told the BBC. "I am making myself proud and doing what I've always dreamt of."

The Commonwealth Games, which begin 24 July, serve as preparation for that goal. Reid said the competition offers valuable rounds ahead of the Olympic cycle, though she acknowledged nothing matches the scale of the Games. "Once you have experienced the Olympics, there is nothing like it," she said.

Source: bbc.co.uk